Sorrow's End
by lilfa
Summary: Two travelers are thrown together amidst a brutal struggle for survival of body and soul. When pasts and presents collide, each have to question their choices and the people they have become. The path to redemption is treacherous and steep. Love, when it takes root in the heart can be a guiding light. But love comes in many forms; it can save or it can drown...
1. Going Through Death's Door

Death. Yes if that was what it took. She was not going to let it ruin his life, like it had hers. She was not going to let it get to Henry. Their containment spell would hold. She put a little burst of magic into the spell and looked up to see Rumple desperately staring into their containment shield and the void beyond. The darkness, the shadow whatever you wanted to call it, was there, staring back at them from the abyss.

"We can't hold this indefinitely dearie." He said without looking up.

"No. But we can do it long enough." She responded sounding far more certain then she actually felt. "You need to move. All of you." That last was directed at the gang.

"Mom no!" Henry exclaimed distress evident in his dear face. Regina looked at him, brimming with love for her little boy. In that moment she had no regrets. It was for him. It was all for him.

"Emma please, you need to leave now. You have to keep him safe." She said to her, ignoring Henry's pleas, even though it cost her.

"We can't just leave you two here!"

"Yes you can and you will." She responded, iron in her voice.

"But I can help-"

Regina cut her off, "We can't keep this up for long. You need to get as far away as you can,_while_ you can." At the look in Emma's eyes she softened her tone a little, "I'm not losing Henry again and he's not going to lose both her mothers, do you understand?"

At that point Rumple decided to join the conversation, "She's right dearie." He looked at the others then. "Better get moving, all of you. Get back to story Brooke. We'll try to contain it if we can."

_About time. Make them go away!_ Regina tried to convey to him with her eyes.

"To where? Here? The enchanted forest? Do you know how many people live here?" Neal interjected harshly.

"Not my problem son. Just go, the lot of you!"

"Go where? This is our home!" The thief exclaimed.

"No this is _my_ home. And you have been trespassing. If I didn't have my hands occupied at the moment, your fate would have been sealed by now."

A sharp push from the dark mass at the center of the spell drew both their attention from the squabbling fools to magic at hand. Sweat glistened on her brow. Her hands were beginning to shake. The darkness knew them too well, knew their weaknesses. They had less time than they thought.

"Stay and we all die. At least let our deaths mean something or are you going to take that away as well?" The last was directed at Snow. Even now, at death's door she couldn't shake the old rage and hatred. She felt the push of darkness become stronger tasting her rage, finding foothold. She looked at Henry then. His face pale and drawn, dread and shock pooling in his eyes. Emma had a hand around his shoulders, his small frame straining to spring to her side. She looked back to Snow. In her dark heart, she began to feel an acceptance growing; of the hand fate had dealt her. Daniel's death, Snow's role, her mother, the king, her rage; her choices and her actions. For a brief instance in time, she had a brief vision of what it could have been like. And then she felt herself letting go. Emotions fleeted one after another in Snows eyes, too fast for Regina to read. But then understanding came to rest in her green eyes. She remembered those eyes, staring back at her from the panicked face of a little girl. Snow nodded, once, and put a hand on Emma's shoulder.

"We have to go Emma." She said to her daughter.

"But..." Emma spluttered.

"This is the only way Emma. Our only chance." She said with the ever present compassion Regina for so long had hated her for it. Emma's eyes were on her. The savior; but this time there was no way for her to save them. In them she saw grief, shame and acceptance show and then determination.

Henry began to struggle again. Shouting no, not wanting to leave her behind. Her brave little boy. Emma, Snow and David had to bodily drag him away. He kept yelling at them to stop, calling after her. She looked back at Rumple, and saw him staring at his son, a slight smile curling a corner of his mouth.

"I..." Neal began.

"No time son. Go."

Emma called after him. Neal began to move backwards, not tearing his gaze away from his father. In the distance the thief was yelling, getting his men to retreat as quickly as possible. She looked back at the void. The purple of their spell was almost completely swallowed by the black all-consuming darkness. This _thing_ was partly responsible for all that she'd done. Goading her, blinding her, weaving shackles of hate and rage around her vision till that was all she could see.

Rumple's voice interrupted her reverie, "You know, I never said it to you."

She looked back at him, confusion evident in her face. "Say what?"

"That I'm sorry…for everything." He said with a curious sincerity in his eyes.

She almost didn't believe her own ears. "You wanted your son back." She told him, her face closing off.

"Yes but-"

"I made my own choices Rumple. I don't have anyone but myself to blame." She interrupted him. "Not even that." She said pointing her gaze to the darkness.

In the distance, the last echoes of retreating footsteps could be heard. They had gotten out of castle. Now it was a matter of getting to a safe place. That is, if anywhere could be safe in this realm once the darkness had free range of it.

"What exactly is trying to break free of there, if you don't mind me asking?"

The remark drew her gaze sharply to the right, where calm blue eyes regarded her. She stared speechless for a moment.

Rumple found his composure first. "What the hell are you still doing here?"

"I have a son too you know." He said nonchalantly. "And whatever that thing is, you don't seem capable of holding it for much longer, or care about the inhabitants of this forest beyond your own immediate family." He added darkly. "I intend to keep it at bay for as long as I can, so my men can warn away as many people as they can, and get themselves, my son, your family and anyone else they find to relative safety."

"And pray tell," Regina asked, scorn dripping from her every word, "with what exactly are you going to do that?"

In response he pulled an arrow from the quiver on his back, readying his bow. "With this of course." He said, drawing the string tight.

"Sorry to break it to you, but that is not going to work." Rumple informed him coldly. "If you want to die here be my guest. But don't think you are even a going to slow down the shadow for even a moment."

"Ah, but I have made a few improvement since you last had my bow. Other than the ones you made when you stole it from me I mean."

"No…" Regina half whispered under her breath. "NO!" she got out more strongly. Her whole body was drawn as tight as the man's bow string. Her face blanched of all color; gaze riveted to a spot on his arm, revealed when he had pulled back the bow. A lion, rearing on its hind legs in a field of black ink. She was instantly transported back to a night so long ago...to half remembered dreams and amber's of hope crushed under an avalanche of hate and rage and sorrow. There was a roaring in her ears. And a voice kept saying, _You ruined his life. You ruined..._

Yes she did. His and Tink's and Snow's and Emma's and Henry's and everyone, everyone else's. Because that was what she did.

Someone had been calling her name. She looked up to see Rumple looking at her oddly. "What is it?" He asked worriedly. She looked back at the thief. Bow directed at the void, feet apart, ready to face whatever came out of the darkness in front of him. Her throat was dry as sand.

"You said you had a son." She said, locking eyes with him. "Then you have to leave. For him. You need to go right now." She pleaded, not believing what she heard in her own voice. But she could see it in his eyes; he was not budging. The fool thought he was doing the right thing. _Idiot._

She could feel the darkness hammering at their defenses, growing enraged, wanting an out. But it was him, the one with the lion tattoo. He couldn't die here. Not like this. Not for nothing. She pulled one hand away from the spell and with a savage push of her magic, shoved him as far away as her weakened strength allowed her to. She felt him puff back into existence somewhere at the edge of the forest. A sigh escaped her and with it, her legs gave out from under her. She went down hard, pushing both hands back into the spell. Shaking, she looked up to meet the incredulous stare of Rumpelstiltskin.

"Are you out of your bloody mind woman? What…? Why…?" He trailed off, too incensed to go on.

"You…had…your…Belle." She got the words out, fighting for each one, struggling for breath. "Had…your…chance…at…happy…ending." Keeping her eyes open was too much of a struggle. She let them droop along with her head. "He…was…supposed…to be…mine."

It was done now. Henry would be safe. He would be safe. Rumple was silent. This was it; the end. She could see his hands shaking as well. Soon he would be on his knees beside her; fighting the darkness to their very last breath. _So be it._

"You know dearie, the prophecy never said anything about you being undone; just me." He said softly. She didn't even have enough strength to move her head and give him a flat stare. Prophecies and pixie dust and destinies. Loads of crap the whole bunch of them. It was all about choices, all of it; Her choices.

She felt darkness closing in on her vision. Not the kind that was trapped all be it temporarily by their containment spell, but the other kind. The one that reaches out comforting hands and takes you in its icy wings and lets you forget all that is and was and never will be. She let it come, welcomed it with bitterness and calm. And so, it swallowed her whole and she knew no more.

To Be Continued.


	2. Holding on to Life's Edge

Robin came to with a start. One minute he was standing on the edge of an abyss planning to shoot an arrow into whatever came out of it, the next he was sprawled face down on the forest floor with a very uncomfortable, sharp stick poking a hole in his side. Yes, that would be his bow. And it was broken. His bow, his _enchanted bow_, was bloody broken. _That… that WOMAN, that harpy!_ He was so enraged he couldn't form coherent sentences in his mind about her. What had she been thinking? What business was it of hers if he lived or died? Why did she even care? He had never met the woman; much less give her reason to not want him dead. It was his skin and he could do with it what he damn well pleased.

At that moment, a horrendous sound ripped through the forest, sending its entire inhabitants, beast or man into panicked frenzy. He looked around him, searching for the source. It seemed to have come from far away, toward the heart of the enchanted forest. He had a sinking feeling that the sound had come from his castle. Well, Rumble's castle technically. Had the men got to the Green in time? The Green would protect them he was certain. But timing was everything.

That was out of his hand for now; he had bigger problems to deal with. The initial shock had worn off, and he had had a good look at his surroundings. He knew where he was. The last place he would ever want to be in. The most dangerous place he could be in. _That woman!_ Not only had she stopped him from buying few precious minutes for his men, but in trying to save him she'd sent him to the one place that could very well be his doom. To top it all off, she had made him break his bow, his only defense in this place. Well he had broken it, but it was still her fault…partly any way.

_Enough of this!_ He needed to get a move on, to find a way out of this hellhole. And soon, before _**He**_ got wind of him being here. Night was going to fall soon. He needed a place to pass the night in, and more importantly, stay hidden. He looked around, searching for any place he could use; a cave, a tree he could climb up, a hole in the ground, anything. He was panicking. He shouldn't be panicking. He could not, would not be captured by _him_. He had to get back to Roland, to his men.

A dark silhouette drew his eyes to the trees down to the left of where he was standing. He shouldn't be baited, he knew. He should just leave it be. It might not even be a person down there. His legs began moving of their own accord, even before his mind had finished trying to talk him out of it. He drew closer. The shape was definitely a person, a woman in fact; resting on her side, so still as though in death. He put on a fresh burst of speed, arriving at her side. He felt for a pulse. There, weak but still there. She was alive. Gently he cupped one hand under her head, turning her with the other. For a long moment he just stared at her, taking in the features in repose, so different from what he had seen last. Her face was as pale as death, and her breath so shallow he had to strain his ears to hear it.

It took a few seconds for the initial shock to pass. He spent a few more engaged in an internal battle. Then, he nodded once and drawing her into his arms stood up. The trees were out of the question then. A cave it was.

* * *

She dreamt of horses and sunshine and apples tasting of light. She was wind, she was shadow; she was laughter and warmth. But then the sky began to change. The earth stood still, the sun up above faded and died. Laughter became heaving cries of blackest despair. A pair of green eyes watched. Slowly the darkness crept forward, swallowing all that it saw. The green of the grass turned the color of death; the horses uttered their dying screams. Somewhere, a jewel of the most brilliant red turned dark and darker still, till darkness was all that remained...

She jerked out of the nightmare with a cry half buried in the dryness of her throat. Immediately a hand was on her shoulder, belonging to a man, saying soothing words, trying to calm her down. Dark… it was so dark. The darkness had found her at last, devoured her whole. Hands on her face, blue eyes staring into hers, burning into her, demanding her attention, away from the black, from the darkness.

Slowly her eyes adjusted to the dim light. They were in an enclosed space, a circular area, roughly four feet in radius. She was laying at the center, the man crouching over her. Her eyes traveled up from the hands and the mark burning on the edge of her vision, to meet their owner. Light brown hair framed a handsome face, even though it was drawn tight with worry. No matter how good looking the face might be it was the last one she would have ever wanted to, or expected, to see again. He couldn't be dead too, she had sent him away, as far away as she could. Had the idiot managed to get himself killed the minute she got him out? She had wasted what precious little magic left her on this complete and utter moron for NOTHING?

"What the hell are you doing here?" She snarled at him. Well she tried to at any rate. It came out as a pathetic croak.

In response he drew his hands away retreating as far away as the small confines allowed him. "Good of you to join the land of the living, your majesty." He said with a wry tone to his voice. "For a moment there you had me worried."

"Worried? You?" She was proud of how sarcastic the rasp had sounded. "What are you talking about? What is this?"

She couldn't be dead. Death couldn't possibly hurt this much. Her whole body was one giant ache. No, somehow she was still alive. But, what of the darkness? Rumple? She had to get back. She tried to heave herself upright, ignoring the cries of pain coming from all over her body. She had to get back.

"I'd advise against that." Robin said from his perch.

Ignoring him, she got her legs under her and pushed herself onto them. They held a moment, two, and promptly gave out from under her, depositing her unceremoniously face down on the floor. Robin's hands were at her back, turning her over despite her struggles. "Be still woman! I'm trying to help!" He hissed savagely in her ears.

She just looked at him blankly. "What's your problem?"

"My PROBLEM? My problem is YOU, your highness!" He hissed, laying her on her back with a not so gentle shove. "First, you materialize in my castle, Out of thin air, bringing death and destruction, not just to all that I hold dear, but also to all who reside in the very realm, that I live in." His hands fisted, his eyes burned with fury. "And not caring a whiff for those inhabitants, just as long as your precious son is whisked away in time to this story land of yours." Contempt had crept into his eyes, mixing with the rage in there.

"Like the million other people that live in this realm aren't even there!" He added disbelievingly, as though he just couldn't comprehend the depth of their depravity. "And then, when I stay back to try and give my men, my family, and whoever I can a running start after the big bad monster that both Rumplestiskin and the evil queen, the two meanest, nastiest monsters I would have thought, are unable to contain to another realm much less face head on, breaks free and wreaks havoc on all that I have ever known and loved."

He let go of her, as if he couldn't bear to even touch her. "And _you_ had the audacity to just whisk me away, when I could very well see your magic was at its limit" He said, hatred and accusation in his voice. "And to top it all off, to send me to the worst, _absolutely_ worst place you possibly could."

He seemed completely depleted and winded after his monologue. He drew back into the corner once more and began ignoring her presence, mere inches away from him. The man could really articulate, even in a hushed whisper. So she wasn't dead then. But how had she got here? She hadn't done it herself, but who? Rumple? Why? What about the darkness? She had to go back.

"Again, what is your problem? We are alive aren't we? We just have to go back. They couldn't have gone very far..."

"That would be harder than you might imagine, HIGHNESS." He said sourly.

"What? I couldn't have sent you that far…" She trailed off. "I didn't have the energy"

"Well you sent me far enough. I'm a wanted man in this land. I cannot be seen here by _anyone_."

"What, the big bad sheriff will get you?" she said mockingly. "I thought you could handle him."

"Who, Nottingham? What does he have to do with this?"

"Well you said you were wanted… how many lands can you be wanted in?"

"You'd be surprised at the answer to that." There was a self-deprecating air about him. "At any rate he only knew me as Robin Hood," He shrugged "Truth be told, he never was much of a challenge; more a fool than anything else."

"Was? He's dead?" she asked. _Oh_. Now she remembered. He was one of the people that got transported to Storybrooke. "So what's the problem?" She went on hurriedly to cover her lapse. "And who else would he know you as? What are you talking about?"

He looked away. "It doesn't matter." After a moment he turned back, the dark emotions playing in his face giving way to earnestness. "You want to get back, as do I." He said. "I know where my men would go, and they might know where your companions have gone, if they are not together even now." That sounded reasonable she thought.

"I know the way to them. So I suggest, you lay back, get some rest, and gain back your strength so we can get moving already." He said in an annoyed tone. "I have been saddled with you for far too long as it is."

"What do you mean saddled with me?" She said indignantly. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days, your majesty." He replied acidly. "And each day we dwell in this wretched place is another day closer to him finding out I am here." He added under his breath.

"Who finding out?"

"Just go to sleep will you? Time enough for all that later."

He sounded as tired as she felt. It was so cold, she desperately wished there was a fire to warm her aching bones. She had used too much magic, and her body was punishing her for it. Sleep didn't sound too bad…

"Why did you stick with me?" She said through teeth that had begun to chatter violently. "Could have just left..."

With a sigh and a rustling sound, a warm green cloak came to rest on top of her, with hands trying to massage warmth back into her body, into her soul. Before the comfort of darkness drew its blanket tight around her, she heard him whisper softly, "A debt is a debt; even when it is to the evil queen herself. You saved my life, and I owe you for that."


	3. Coldness and Warmth

Consciousness came in stages. There was a weight bearing down on her; she felt as though she had to fight it at every step coming out of the dark recesses of the dreaming void and into the waking land of dreary starlight and bone deep cold.

The scarce light was coming from all around her in the enclosed space. The smallness of the place was suffocating. Her wandering eyes came to rest on his sleeping form. Even in repose he seemed tense. He kept a hand on his bow, useless though it seemed to have become, as if for comfort. He had wrapped his cloak around her, and in the cold night air he had curled somewhat into himself to preserve body heat. She supposed he was being chivalrous. Idiot man, he should have slept beside her under the cloak, so they could use each other's body heat. Maybe then she wouldn't be this cold.

"See something you like your majesty?"

Her eyes flew back to his face. His eyes were still closed. Nothing gave away his wakeful state. For a moment she thought she had imagined it. After a pause in which she failed to produce an adequately sarcastic retort, he cracked open one eyelid to stare at her questioningly.

"Do you ever sleep?" she asked archly. "Or do thieves really do all sleep with one eye open?"

He didn't deign to give her a response, just closed the eye and seemingly went back to sleep. "You shouldn't believe all that you hear highness." He mockingly informed her after a beat.

She really didn't like the way he kept using the royal honorifics. She got that he knew who she really was. Even though a part of her wished he didn't. What had she done to him in her rampage of revenge? How many ways had she ruined his life? She looked away, directing her gaze to up above her head. She'd expected to see a looming ceiling in keeping with the tight confines of the rest of the place. What she didn't expect was to look up, and up, and still see no visible sign of an enclosure. All she saw was endless walls of grey intermittent with silvery light coming through the cracks, ending in a point of light far above her head.

"Are we..." she sat up, running her eyes with incredulity over the tight space. "Are we in a tree?"

"Sorry the hidey hole doesn't meet your royal expectations." Was the sardonic reply. "It was the best I could do in the short amount of time with a dead weight on my shoulders."

The impudence of the man! "Why do we have to hide? Couldn't we just camp, I don't know, in the _forest_? Where the air is fresh and I don't have to hear you breathing in my ear?"

"No we could not." he opened both eyes to gaze at her intently. "In this forest, you don't want to be in any open spaces especially at night if you know what's good for you."

Sneering she said mockingly, "And you know what's good for me, do you?" she shook her head in frustration. "I don't have time for this." She needed to get back to Henry. She had no idea if Rumple had been able to contain the darkness. If it had managed to break free...

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to my son. I suggest you do the same." She threw back at him.

Jumping up in front of her in one silver quick motion, he hissed savagely, "If you go out there now, you will die, long before you even get to the forest proper."

"The only one in danger of dying here is you if you don't get out of my way _right now_." She was beyond furious. She had no idea why she was whispering like he was. His paranoia must be getting to her. Her hand twitched; she was seconds away from blasting his ass out of this hellhole and into next week.

"What? You're going to poof me out of existence again? I know you want to." He taunted. "Do that and you will never get out of this place alive. Evil queen or not." he warned. "You have no idea what you are up against."

She almost felt like laughing out loud. This was ridiculous. She began moving her hand in the right gesture to toss him aside, but he was faster. His hand closed on hers. His frustration with her was beginning to give way to fury now.

"Can't you see woman, I am trying to-"

"What was that?" She interrupted him. There was a noise, like the sound of rattling chains. Through the hand on her wrist, she felt him go deathly still. She wasn't sure he was even breathing. She didn't know why the sound was so unnerving. The temperature dropped alarmingly. She started to ask him again when his hand flew up to her mouth, crushing any sound that might have come out of it. His breath fogged coming out of his mouth mere inches away, but it iced midway to her face. The sudden coldness was so absolute their bodies had given up on shivering to produce the scant heat they could.

She could feel ice forming on her exposed skin; she feared if she didn't move right away she would turn to stone. His eyes bore into hers, urging, no _demanding_, she be as silent and still as he was. She felt herself go stiff, not in fear but in anger at him. The Gall of the man! Well, he might be a cowering fool, but it took more than a few rattling chains to scare her out of her wits. She formed the correct shape of magic in her mind, intending to blast him out of her way. She wouldn't hurt him too much she thought, but a good knocking would be good for the fool. She willed her magic into action, and, nothing happened. She tried again. _Nothing._ She tried again, and again, to no avail. And in all that time Robin kept holding them both motionless and mute, seemingly listening with baited breath to the noise coming from the outside. It was as if the magic had deserted her, leaving in its place an echoing hollowness inside her.

The noises retreated to beyond their hearing and the temperature slowly returned to the normal cold of before. He abruptly let go of her, withdrawing to his spot on the right. She stood where he had left her, still as a statue. She couldn't move. She felt naked and broken without her magic. Her magic was the only thing that had never deserted her. She needed it. It couldn't be gone. It couldn't.

"...hunt at night..." robin's voice intruded on her haze. She made herself look at him.

"What hunts at night?" she rasped.

"The bloody Barghests I've been telling you about." he told her impatiently.

"The what?" she asked bewildered.

"Weren't you listening?" he exclaimed angrily." The Barghests! Demon hounds! Very large, very deadly, harbingers of death and destruction, ring any bells?" he asked acidly. "They go invisible when they hunt. The sound of rattling chains is their only giveaway." he continued more quietly. "Well that and the bloody cold."

Perfect. On top of being stranded in the middle of nowhere with an idiot for a guide and no magic, she had to deal with hell hounds as well. "But why would they be hunting us?" she asked him.

"They are _His_." He gritted out. "He knows I'm here. Or at least suspects something is up. So He has sent them to check it out."

"He who? What is this person you keep yammering on about?" She asked with frustration.

"No one you'll ever want to know." he muttered under his breath.

"Well he sure seems keen on rectifying that matter, if he's sending Barghests after us." she told him derisively. "I thought they were a legend." She added half in wonder.

"Well you thought wrong." he replied tersely. "It will be morning soon. We'll start moving then" he gazed through the cracks, gauging the light outside. "And I strongly suggest you refrain from using any magic unless you want to take his whole might head on. " he turned back to look at her then. "In his domain I would advise against it, even if you were at your full strength, which clearly, you are not." he said with a scathing look.

She felt her hackles rise at his tone. Oh how she wished she had her magic so she could knock him around some. That would get him down from his high horse and teach him the lesson he so richly deserved. Without saying another word she angrily retreated to the corner opposite to wait out the night in weighted silence.

At the first sign of breaking dawn, he moved right pass her to the crack that served as en exit, and proceeded out. Regina stared at the place he'd disappeared through, not knowing what to do next. She should, no she had to go after him. She had no magic, no idea of where she was, and no way of getting back to Henry. She needed him, although she was loath to admit it, even to herself. And this place...there was something very off about it. He seemed to know this land, and know it well. Who was this man? He certainly didn't act like any of the tales she had ever heard of Robin Hood. _One way to find out._ Hardening her resolve, she hurried after him.


	4. In the Shadow of the Blood tree

"What are you doing?"

Like they weren't late enough as it was, the man had to stop and stare at every tree they passed. She jerked at the cloak on her shoulders in annoyance. "It's just a damn tree!" She exclaimed, exasperated with him. "It's the fourth one you've stopped to gawk at." She got an annoyed look in response. He turned back to his tree. She glared at his back, her gaze falling to the broken bow that rested there in a makeshift sack. She stared at it intently, willing her magic to respond, to make it whole, so she could shoot him with it. She wished she didn't need him to get out of this place so she could just strangle him. In his sleep would do, not that he actually seemed to be doing a lot of that. And anyway, she would like to see his eyes bulge and his face redden as he struggled for breath when she crushed the maddening arrogance out of him.

Spending three days with the wretched man was enough to make her long for the days she just had to deal with the likes of Charming and Hook and Emma. Even Snow's company would be preferable. The man got on her nerves. He was so paranoid, she was sure he hadn't slept a wink in all the time they had been stuck in this place.

It galled her to admit her vexation stemmed in part from her disappointment. Just her luck, her _soul mate_ was a thief scared shitless of something that went bump in the night; not that night time in this place wasn't, if she was being perfectly honest with herself, a bit unsettling. But if only she had her magic she would have ripped whatever it was apart by now.

She didn't remember the last time she had been this helpless. She couldn't help feeling it was his fault. It would be just like the lingering effects of the damn pixie dust to have taken the magic away as a way of ensuring she stuck to him this time. Well, the minute she found the others she would get rid of him _immediately_.

She was trying to decide whether to just leave him right now or not, when apparently finding the tree lacking, he began moving towards the forest path without sparing a glance back at her.

Fuming, she hurried after him. The instance she was in grabbing distance, she fisted her hands in the back of his tunic, forcing him to turn back to face her.

"What?" he asked vexed.

"It seems I'm the only one who keeps using that word" she got out through gritted teeth.

"Now," she began. Her tone was calm, pleasant even; dangerously so. "I suggest, you take a minute out of your busy sightseeing schedule, And explain to me, _what the hell is going on_." she said, her voice rising to a menacing growl towards the end.

Robin stared at her impassively, seemingly unfazed by her display of murderous rage. She decided to try another tactic. "If this person you are so afraid of is as dangerous as you think he is, wouldn't knowing about him better prepare me if we run into him?" she reasoned. "Or was what you said that first night a lie?" she asked him coldly. His passive facade slipped a little. "Do you want me to lose to him? Whoever the hell he is."

" I didn't lie." he replied acidly. "And I'm not afraid of him." she snorted in disbelief. "I'm afraid of who I was...who I become, when I'm around him." he said quietly.

"_Who is he_?" she really would lose it if he said _it doesn't matter_ one more time. If he hedged again she swore she was going to beat an answer out of him. Magic or no magic. "Robin I swear-" she began threateningly.

"William. His name is William." he admitted grudgingly. "He rules the border lands through brutality and savage oppression." His voice was bitter and full of hatred."He commands a magic far darker and greater than anything you, or even the dark one, could ever imagine."

He untangled himself from her grip and started to walk away again. "Happy now?" he threw back venomously over his shoulder.

She hurried after him questions burning on the tip her tongue. "What darker magic?" she asked breathlessly.

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"But I do want to know. Tell me damn you!"

He stopped, turning to look at her. "The magic he wields, makes the darkness you are so afraid of, cower away in fright to the farthest, darkest corner it can find." he said viciously. "Had it known this magic had a foothold in this realm, it wouldn't have tried to break free like it did." His eyes were savage, his body coiled, as if poise to strike at any moment. "It is not anything you could use. It would destroy you if you even attempted it."

She had pushed him too far she could see. "Ok, ok," she said trying to placate him." I won't ask." but she wanted to. And she knew he knew that.

He struggled visibly to calm himself. "You seemed to be trying to break free of your darkness." he said after a pause, staring softly into her eyes. "For your son, Henry-" at her affirmative nod, he went on, "He would take all that away from you, twist you up in so many ways, what you did as the evil queen would seem like a child's temper tantrum."

He seemed…to be talking from experience. "What would you know about it?" she rasped "_Robin Hood, _with your noble causes and talks of saving people?" she mocked. "Huh? Tell me! What would you know of your heart turning black like a lump of coal-" she demanded, poking him in the chest with such force it sent him stumbling back a step."-What would you, with your perfect little family, with your Maid Marian and little son and your merry men know?" He filched with her every word as though she was physically slapping him. "Didn't ruin Nottingham's life to you satisfaction? Didn't wreak damaging enough havoc in the neighboring kingdoms? Stealing their chances at happy endings...I know it was you who trained snow you know. Had her turn my people against me." He caught her arm swinging to hit him across the face.

"You did that on your own." He told her without a flicker of emotion in his face or voice. "I just gave shelter to a scared girl, on the run from the woman who was supposed to be her _mother_." The contempt was back in his eyes again. "You can't steal happy endings Regina." he said hoarsely.

"I'm not sure they really exist. Happiness is a fickle thing; it deserts you, when brimming with joy for your newborn son, you look up-" He took a ragged breath, as if needing strength to go on. "-only to see the woman you loved, above all else, has given her life to bring him into your world. And you could do _nothing_ to stop it" The memory of remembered pain mingled with the grief and sorrow showing through his eyes. "You look down again, and see another chance at happiness. But you will lose that chance Regina, if you let the sorrow suffuse you. Let it become rage." earnestness was etched in his posture, in very move he made to make his words reach her. "It's tempting, I know. Because it would hurt so much less if you do." There was understanding in his eyes. But how could he know? "I don't know what made you become the person you did, and do the things you did, but you had a chance too, at finding another happiness. And you didn't take it." There was no accusation in his voice. He was simply stating a fact.

She had to hold herself still like a statue, if she let herself go, she would start shaking, in rage or grief she didn't know, but she was afraid she wouldn't stop, that she would explode from the weight of the emotion that was struggling to break free. He seemed to sense that. He looked away and slowly, as if trying not to startle her, began to walk away.

She stood there; silent and unmoving. After an eternity had passed, or maybe it was just a few seconds, she didn't know, she made herself start moving in the general direction he had gone. She tried to find his tracks, but passing a bend she found it unnecessary. He was waiting, leaning on a tree, his gaze fastened to somewhere far away. He was giving her space. Giving both of them space. Hearing her approaching footsteps, he began to move without turning back to look at her, and she followed.

The rays of sun shining through the strand of the white birches on either side of them seemed to be losing strength by each passing footsteps. Even though she hated every hour that got her closer to spending another night in this place, since the thick forest foliage had given way to the birches, she had been feeling a calm descending on her. The feeling was not entirely dissimilar to that of walking in a sacred sanctuary of some sorts, as if the evils of the night hunting them for the past days had no sway here. Even Robin seemed less tense.

A sound brought her out of her quiet contemplation; it was Robin, uttering a sound of joyous laughter. That sound made something clench inside of her. She had a sudden urge to hear him make that sound again. She looked around, looking for the source of his merriment. Robin flew past her, almost humming with happiness. He reached the side of a magnificent tree, spending a few moments seemingly just taking in the beauty of it. Well, she had to admit, _that tree_ did deserve a little bit of gawking.

She drew nearer to him. She thought it was an alder tree, but she couldn't be sure, it was not exactly like anything she had ever seen; more majestic, and magical for lack of a better word. That humming sound again, but it wasn't coming from him; it was coming from his _bow_. He slowly raised his hand, and reverently touched it to the tree's bark. The humming intensified tenfold. When he drew his hand back, in its place, with blood red ink a shape had formed. A lion rearing on its hind legs, almost a twin to the tattoo he bore on his arm but for the color. She looked wonderingly at him. He only had eyes for the tree, as if it was a long lost friend, and he, after a long journey had finally come home.

"I can't believe he didn't cut you down." he whispered in mingled awe and delight.

"Oh but brother, how could I?" said a voice from the other side of the tree. All the joy died in robin's face at the sound of that voice. The owner coming into their view went on in a voice devoid of any inflections," It would bleed...And the ground would weep in sorrow."

The family resemblance was quite strong. The light shining through the stranger's hair made it look lighter than his brother, and he was maybe a little taller, and a lot paler than Robin. Like his skin didn't see enough sun. But they shared the same bone structure; the same chiseled jaw and wide forehead. There, the resemblance ended. The fine lines that laughter had etched around Robin's mouth and eyes, and perhaps sorrow had carved into his forehead, were absent from the man's emotisonlessly smooth face. It was as if the soul that was necessary to animate those features was completely missing.

"I didn't know you cared" robin rasped, still gazing at the tree.

His face was turned away from the newcomer, partly facing Regina. It was awash with different emotions, each battling for supremacy on his countenance; guilt, shame, dread, bitterness, sorrow, anger, and finally, determination.

A mask of emotionless calm descending on his features, he turned to face the man. "Regina, let me introduce you to my brother-" his voice was carefree and calm; as of it had always been his intention to run into the man at this point of their journey. He turned back to her again. "-William."


	5. The Lying Game

Robin's eyes were screaming at her to run away, to flee. She just looked at him blankly. Plastering a pleasant smile on his face, he turned back to his brother. "You see, my companion here really wanted to see the woods I grew up in, and I thought it harmless enough to spend a few days showing them to her." his voice was the soul of sincerity and innocence_. What? And who's going to fall for that, a four year old?_ She thought. "Of course, I planned to come pay you a visit when we were done." he added.

"Of course," William replied without a flicker of disbelief. "Tell me, how long has it been brother?"

"A few centuries give or take…It's been rather difficult to keep track with all the curses and realm swapping that has been going on lately."

"Oh yes, I heard about that."

"I shall tell you all about it over dinner." Robin said genially, putting a hand over her shoulders, turning her slightly away from his brother. "What do you say brother? Shall we retire to the castle?" he even appeared to be looking forward to the prospect. "Just give me a moment to say my fair wells to Regina." he said turning to look at her. His eyes were doing an odd dance. She thought he was telling her to go beyond the alder tree and what...poof out of here? To put it in his words. Like that was going to happen.

She looked past him to the man behind. Those eyes, well they might almost be the same blue of Robin's, but the look in them was something else entirely. Something she had seen before; in her mother's eyes, and in the mirror, in some of her darkest hours. But even at its worst theirs hadn't come close to what she was seeing in his eyes. Death stared back at her from those pitiless orbs. They, no _he_, seemed to be leaching warmth and light from all around them. She could swear that dusk had come more than an hour early, and it was deepening with every passing moment. Her body screamed at her to take a step back, to retreat out of this man's sight, to hide.

Well she wasn't afflicted with the same curse as Rumple. Whatever else might be said of her, she was no coward. She took a step forward, curling her hand around Robin's waist. She didn't know if the gesture was possessive, protective, or just to piss him off. She had no magic to fend off this man, but Robin was afraid of him, and she could see why. She wasn't going to let this man or anyone else harm him. If anyone had the right to kill Robin Hood, it was going to be _her_.

Taking her cue from Robin, she arranged her features into her most maliciously evil look, and said with an air of polite interest, "You might know me better as The Evil Queen. It is so nice to finally meet you William."

With each darkening shadow that gathered around him, life and motion seemed to be building in his features. His skin was gaining a healthy golden sheen, and expression was beginning to show itself in his face. "Oh but the pleasure is all mine." he said taking her hand and drawing it to his lips to bestow a cold kiss upon it. She forced herself not to shiver at the touch and giggled instead.

"Such manners! Why can't Robin be more like you?" she joked, turning her head to give Robin a chiding look. He just stared at her, too stunned at the sudden turn of events to do much of anything. _What the hell are you doing? Just go damn you!_ She thought he might be yelling silently. _Huh._ _I'll go when you go! _She thought snarkily at him. He just glared at her in response.

"My brother may be guilty of many things, but like me, he is not." William even gave her a sardonic curl of the lips. "Don't let the outward resemblance fool you my dear."

Robin's hand on her shoulder clenched painfully. She just dug her nails into his side making his breath hitch a little. "Rest assured _dear_, you will find me rather hard to fool." she said with an edge to her voice_. I handled Maleficent; this is going to be easy as pie_…or at least that was what she kept telling herself.

"I am glad to hear that, your majesty." he said inclining his head to her. His eyes retained their coldness, but in the dark gloom that had fallen all around them they glinted with mocking insincerity.

"But my dear William, we mustn't stand on such outdated formalities." Sweetness fairly dripped from her every word. "Call me Regina, I insist. I have been so looking forward to our meeting, haven't I dear?" She said looking adoringly at Robin.

"Oh yes, she has been nagging me incessantly about you since the moment we met." Robin said, giving her a sickly sweet smile of his own. She felt her smile slip a little. The man was lying through his teeth. And he had the gall to…_Careful Robin; two can play at this game_.

"Me?" William asked in a cynical tone.

"Well, would you marry someone without knowing anything about their family?" She asked William in an earnest voice. "He can be so tight lipped about these things...I had to fairly drag it out of him." Robin's face had frozen in its mask of sweetness. She had gone crazy that was it. There was no other explanation for the nonsense coming out of her mouth. But the man just aggravated her beyond reason.

The night was completely upon them, and the rays of moonlight caressingly bathing William's features gave him an otherworldly glow. He gave them the most beatific smile. "Congratulations are in order then!" His eyebrows drew together in a slight frown, and he looked at her in utmost diffidence, "Forgive me for asking, but are you still the queen of your land? We heard such talks-"

"Oh you seem to be sorely misinformed! No wonder, as you live in such remote local." she said with false sympathy. "I not only rule my old kingdom, but now I have a brand new realm, all to myself."

She could feel robin's muscles bunching and convulsing under her hand. Midway through her banter with William, he had turned to stare at her incredulously. His look seemed to practically scream, _Are you out of your bloody mind woman?_ She even had his accent down pat in her own mind.

Well crazy or not, the only thing she had to go on with was her bravado. And she intended to make good use of it. She tried to convey that to him with only her eyes. Not an easy task, since she was also trying to present her most devilish façade to his brother.

"How wonderful for you both! You must tell me more over dinner." William's voice brought both their attentions back to the matter at hand.

Robin cleared his throat. "Ah but you know Regina must be on her way...wedding preparations you understand…"

"Nonsense! We shall have the wedding here of course!" he declared magnanimously. "I couldn't possibly let my beloved brother tie the knot anywhere but our ancestral seat, now could I? What would mother say?" William said, looking affronted. The amount of emotion in his voice and face was jarring considering the absolute lack of it just minutes before. Regina's stomach was churning so violently she had to forcibly put the bile down in her throat. _Game face Regina, game face._

"Mother." Robin repeated flatly.

"You know what I mean. Figure of speech dear." he waved his hand in the air nonchalantly. "But the point remains. After all, the lady just complimented me on my manners." He arched an eyebrow at Robin. "We wouldn't want her to think we were raised by cut throats and ruffians now do we?"

She had a feeling there was more, much more to those words than either of them were letting on. "Come now, we must be on our way. There is to be much feasting!" the words had barely left his mouth when a giant and she meant _giant_ hound materialized at their side. By the sudden cold blowing on her back, she was certain another was standing right behind them. A monstrous jaw was yawning mere inches from her face, showing her the insides with its sharp jagged teeth, made to tear limb from limb with absolute ease.

She put on a mask of gleeful fascination. "Magnificent, just magnificent William!" She exclaimed with the appropriate amount of awe in her voice. "You must tell me where you find them." She said imploringly. "A bit of smell problem though," She added, unable to keep her face from bunching up in the face of the smell of rotting death coming from the thing. "I myself am more of a horse person you understand, but who could argue with that_ pelt_?"

"You must remind me to introduce you to someone. I'm sure you will get along swimmingly." She really didn't like the smile that curled his lips with those words, but she just nodded her head graciously, not wanting to think about what that comment might entail.

"After you my dear." he said, pointing to the vile beast at her side. She resisted the urge to swallow reflexively. Giving him a tight lipped smile, she went around the watching red eyes and the foot wide jaw to stand at its side.

She was trying to figure out how exactly she was supposed to mount the thing, when two warm hands came to gently grip her torso. She knew they were Robin's before turning to look. His face was teeming with a thousand opposing emotions, but most of all his eyes seemed to be asking if she knew what the hell she was doing. She arched her eyebrows, silently asking if he had a better idea. They couldn't run, hiding was out of the question, and they couldn't fight. All that remained was to go with the flow, buy time to find a way to get the hell out later. He sighed quietly, and with an expert flick of his arms, sent her flying over the beast's back, jumping up after her even before she had found her seat.

She looked down to see William regarding them with an unreadable expression on his face. Seeing her gaze, he gave them both an ingenious smile from the ground and mounted the other beast in one smooth easy motion.

She put her arm on Robin's thigh, resting behind her own. It was as tense as she'd expected it to be. _Trust me, I've got this_. She tried to convey to him, and was rewarded with a minuscule release of tension in his body. The beasts began moving, and all she could think of was not losing her seat and falling off to her death.


	6. Where Horrors Reside

The massive castle had seemed dark and foreboding from the distance, but up close it told a different tale. Cheerful fires showed through its hundreds of stain glass windows, and the dark stone that had given it such a sinister cast from far away, had a bright glistening sheen to it that spoke of constant care and attention.

She was almost sorry the ride was over. The Barghests might be smelly bastards, but they could _move_. She had to admit no horse ride had ever been this exhilarating. Robin had already dismounted and was extending a hand to help her down. She absently took the offered hand, looking around the courtyard. Something was not right about this picture.

"I have already informed the staff. They are making preparations for your stay as we speak." William's voice came from behind her. When had he done that? They just got here. The bastard was stealthy; she hadn't heard him come at all. Yes, that was the problem with this place. It was... it was too quite. No sound of laughter, or music, or even the maids and other staff going about their duties. Absolute silence reigned; like no one in this place dared do anything without the permission of its master.

The beasts had vanished in the same mysterious way they had first appeared and there was no sign of them in the courtyard. She turned to William, baring her teeth at him in a fake sunny smile. "You are far too kind dear."

A slight rustling sound made them look to the shadowy doorway of the castle. There stood a figure in a maid's outfit. "Regina dear, this is your personal maid. She is going to see to your every need during your stay with us." He motioned for the girl to come closer.

"Ah thank you, how tho-" She trailed of. The light of the lit torches in the courtyard had fallen on the girl's face when she had approached them, and all rational thought fled Regina's mind at the sight. Someone had taken a coarse black thread to the girl's face; sewing shut her eyes and lips in the most grotesque manner imaginable. In between the crude stitches she could see her flesh rotting. Her skin was as pale as a corpse and blotchy and grey in places; like the rotting had been spreading to the other parts of her body as well.

"Ana..." the name escaped Robin's lips in a stilted cry; part anguish, part unbearable guilt and sorrow. The idiot man, didn't he know he shouldn't reveal weakness in front of his brother? To cover up his slip, she put on her most affronted face and turned to give the man behind them a scathing look. "The girl has no eyes and no mouth! How do you except her to be of any assistance to me?" she asked him in the nastiest voice she could muster. "Is this the way you treat foreign dignitaries in your backwater kingdom?"

William only gave her a chilling smile. Beside her she could feel Robin trying to forcibly pull himself together. "Oh my dear, you see, Ana and Robin go way back." he said innocently. "I thought he would like to see her again." his whole countenance was the picture of brotherly love and affection. "And don't fret, Ana can see well enough." he moved past them to stand beside the motionless Ana. "What would be the point of all the beautifying effort I've put into her face, if she couldn't see herself in the mirror?" he put a finger under her chin raising her face to the light, as if to give them a better look at his handy work. Robin's breath was turning ragged.

This had gone on long enough.

She gave him a withering glance "Well she still can't talk now can she?"

"No," he said musingly. "Her tongue was the first thing I cut." He gripped her chin tightly, the skin puckering under his fingers." I didn't like the sweet lies it was telling me." The pleasant mask had slipped a little, and his malice showed through. "But why would you want her to talk dear?" he looked back at her, his smile regaining its joyful disposition. "It's not necessary to perform her duties...unless you had other uses for her tongue..." He trailed off questioningly.

"No, if you say she can do her job, then I have no objections." She just needed to get the hell out of his vile presence. "For now." she growled halfheartedly, remembering to keep the charade going. The girl jerked her head away from his grip and after curtseying, turned to show them the way to their quarters. At least that was what Regina hoped she was doing. She nodded to William, and entwining her arm with Robin's, dragged him after her.

* * *

The minute the girl opened the door to their designated chamber Regina swept past, taking Robin in with her. They needed to regroup, to think and come up with a escape plan. Robin jerked his hand out of her grip and went right back out, in search of the girl she thought. But she was nowhere to be seen. He just stood there, looking lost and forlorn in the candlelit hallway. She hauled him in again and closed the heavy door with enough force to make the tapestries hung on either side flutter in protest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she shouted the minute they were safety ensconced in the room.

"What I'm doing? What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled back just as furiously.

Advancing on him she said scathingly, "Well, apparently saving your ass-"

"-Oh that's rich." he interrupted her with a derisive chuckle.

"Don't you know your brother?" She asked infuriated. "You can't show any weakness to him...isn't that what got her messed up in the first place?" he blanched. She wished she could take back her words. "It's not your fault that he is a complete psychopath!" she said trying to lessen the damage she had wrought. "Please tell me he is at least your half-brother…" There was very little hope in her voice.

He sat down heavily in a nearby footstool. "Why?" He asked on a long exhale. "Evil is not in your blood..." She wasn't sure she agreed with the absolute conviction in his voice. "You are not born with it. You become it through your choices."

"That's all very nice and poetic," She replied sarcastically. "But we need a way out of this mess." She started to pace the room, giving the huge upholstered bed a wide berth. She needed to think. "I can't keep sucking up to your sick brother for much longer."

"You have meddled into affairs that you don't have the slightest clue about, and you expect to just waltz out of it?" he said, getting angry again. She stopped pacing and turned to look at him. "You entered a game with him Regina." She didn't care at all for the underlying horror in his voice.

"What game?" _What is he talking about?_

"What, you thought he bought the whole marrying debacle?" He said with mock surprise.

"Well, why else would-"

"Because I worded it as a game and he accepted." he interjected in a hash tone. "He never could refuse a game." he added absently. "I specifically phrased it so you could get the bloody hell out." he said, getting up and coming to invade her personal space. "But did you listen? _Noooo_...You just had to jump in." His face was mere inches away. He was so mad she half expected spit to be flying out of his mouth.

She felt the rest of the blood drain away from her face. She brought their faces even closer. "What did you expect me to do? Start scurrying away like a scared rat?" She asked him in a dangerously low voice.

"No, I wanted you to just go beyond the blood tree and magic yourself out." He turned away throwing his hands up in disgust.

She could feel her control over her temper slipping. "And you? I was just supposed to leave you alone with the king of creepiness there?"

"Why do you care?" He asked frustration and befuddlement evident in his demeanor.

"I don't." She quickly denied.

"Well, you keep trying to save me." His eyes dared her to deny it. "It needs to stop. You keep making it worst." His voice was flat. The ungrateful bastard.

She felt her eyebrows rising up a notch. "Pardon me for trying to be a good person." She wasn't hurt by his remark. _She wasn't._

"Couldn't you just have chosen someone else for you goodness agenda?" He asked plaintively. "Never mind..." He sighed, giving his head a slight shake. "We need to get ready."

"Yes, a plan-"

"I meant for dinner." he interrupted her in a somewhat defeated tone.

She must have heard wrong. "Are you kidding me? We need to-"

"We can't." he cut in his voice rising again. "Not until the game is over."

Her eyes narrowed. "Well I'm not playing anymore." She bitingly informed him.

"You don't have a choice." He went passed her, moving towards one of the side doors on the right.

"Get back here! I'm not done talking!" she shouted after him. Not having much of a choice she followed him. She was getting tired of doing that. "Robin-" she began menacingly. A bundle of bright cloth was suddenly thrust at her face. Her arms automatically closed around it.

"Here, he left you this." he said from behind the offending obstacle to her vision. Managing to clear her line of sight with effort, she looked to see Robin taking a formal waistcoat, tunic and trousers out of the dark oak wood closet that dominated one corner of the room. It was a rich green color with red and gold embroideries. Looking down, she let the bundle unroll in her hand. It was a ball gown in matching cloth. It had more embellished embroidery with an added dark black thread running through the red and gold. They were both stunning works of art, and hers appeared to be the perfect size. She hated it on sight.

Robin took a red cap out of the closet and stood there, just looking at it. "How..." She trailed off, too puzzled to go on.

"Magic of course." he quietly said, still gazing at the cap. "Every fiber of this place is at his complete beck and call."

"So, he can hear us in here!?" She couldn't keep her voice from rising in her panic.

"If he chose to." he said, finally looking up at her. "Hear us, see us." murder us in our sleep he didn't say. "But the game has rules, and he will abide by them."

She just wanted to laugh. Hysterically. This was absolutely crazy." I'll leave you to your preparations. You'll find all you need in this room." He shoved the matching slippers into her lap, and pushed his way out of the room; leaving her alone with her churning thoughts and dread filled heart. _What have I got myself into?_ And more importantly, how was she going to get out.

* * *

Regina smoothed a hand down the already smooth skirt of her gown. She couldn't help it, she was nervous. Robin hadn't spoken a word to her since storming out of the dressing room. She had come out to see him sitting beside the fireplace hunched over that damn cap of his. He kept looking at it like it was going to bite him. Which she didn't put past anything William gave them. Noticing her presence he had taken a deep breath and with jerky movements placed the thing on his head and came up beside her to escort her silently through the winding pathways of the castle to what was presumably the dining hall. Robin's steps had seemed to be dragging more and more the closer they had got to their destination. And he had stopped completely when they reached the anteroom.

She looked at him, his gaze lost somewhere deep within himself. What was beyond that door that made him so afraid to go through it? "It can't be that bad." she told him softly.

His eyes focused on her. She couldn't read the emotions that were playing in his face. "Regina, you must promise me, that no matter what you see or hear, no matter what he does, you won't interfere." his voice was beseeching.

"I-"

"No Regina. If you see an out, you will take it. And you will not spare a single glance back. Promise me!" his voice was demanding this time.

She was saved from having to respond by William's jovial voice. "Ah, Robin, Regina dear, " he said beaming at them. He had snuck up on them again. _How much had he heard?_ "Come, come" he said, motioning them toward the great door. "We mustn't keep the courtiers waiting."

She put her hand on Robin's offered arm, and he gripped it tightly with his other one. _It's going to be ok._ She wished she could say to him. He locked gazes with her again. _No it's not._ His eyes said. A look of regret passed through his features, but he blinked it away. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and guided them through the door after William.


	7. In The Hall of The Thousand Heads

Author's Note:

Those of you who read the previous chapter within two hours of its update, please go back to read the last few paragraphs as they were omitted from the first draft. Thank you all for reading!

* * *

Coming in from the shadowy anteroom, the lights in the enormous hall were almost overwhelming. Two great long tables occupied the length of the room on either side, ending with a raised dais in front. Behind each table stood a group of courtiers dressed in utmost opulence and grandeur. They all wore the same expressionless mask, but behind the impassive facade, she could see fear lurking in the back of their eyes.

Taking the hall in slowly, She noticed each row of courtiers were arranged in groups of varying sizes, and above each group there was an ornament of some kind. She stumbled, her gaze riveted to the spot above one group. Robin caught her without slowing his stride, and she let herself be dragged after him, unable to tear her eyes away.

There were heads, _human heads_, lining the walls on every side. Hundreds of them. But they weren't dead. Oh how she wished they were. She didn't know how they were animated but the grotesque masks of agony and terror distorting their faces was unmistakable. Their eyes moved, shying away from William and Robin to gaze in supplication at Regina. Not able to bear the weight of their gaze, she quickly looked away. _Nothing I can do._ Robin was purposefully not looking at the walls at all. _He knew about this. _

Seeing their king enter, the nobles all knelt down in subjugation. William going to stand on the raised dais let them keep the posture for longer than strictly necessary, before signaling them to get up. "My fellow nobles," His voice boomed through the hall, making Regina jump. "Tonight is a night of great joy. For our red cap prince has returned to our fold." He grandly motioned them to come stand beside him on the dais. "And to give us even greater cause for celebration, he has brought with him a queen of his own."

With as much cheer as a death march, Robin walked them up the two stairs to stand beside William. He had his gaze fixed straight ahead; not looking at either the courtiers or the mounted heads above them. The nobles broke into thunderous applause. William looked on, smiling benignly at his subjects.

"Our dearest brother," he said draping his arm over Robin's rigid shoulders in the most amiable manner. "Has beaten us in taking the ultimate plunge." He had a goblet in his hand and was holding it to be filed by the serving maid that had suddenly appeared beside him. All through the room the nobles were having their chalices filled with wine by a multitude of servants that she could have sworn weren't there a second ago. She looked down to see a goblet in her left hand being filled by a girl that had materialized at her side. Dropping his arm William placed a second wine filled goblet in his brother's hand and moving forward, glided down the air to the floor in front of the dais. Addressing the crowd at large, he raised the cup in his own hand, " A toast! To our Robin Redcap and his Evil Queen." he turned, saluting them with his glass. "May they find eternal happiness in each other's arms."

A murmur of "Here here" went through the crowd, the wine was drunk in their honor and the empty goblets were soon refilled by the ever vigilant servants. Regina downed hers in one go, not pausing to taste or even breath mid gulp.

"To my brother" Robin said raising his own glass. "May we one day repay him for all his kindness and generosity." _Giving him a taste of his own medicine you mean._

They drank again and William nodding to them walked on. The heads were beginning to turn their hate filled gazes on Robin, now that William didn't stand on the way. The force of their enmity was so strong she wished she could shield him from it somehow. Even without looking Robin felt their hostility, she could see it in his profile. He turned to the table taking out a pitcher of wine and filled his cup to the top, downing it in one breath. "Give me that." she said reaching for the pitcher. They couldn't seat at the table till William was seated, but the partaking of wine was presumably up to par. _And if it isn't, bite me._

William was advancing towards a group of nobles on the left. The eyes of the head mounted above them began to rove wildly at his approach, and its mouth broke in a silent scream of panicked terror. "What the hell are those?" She snapped at Robin.

Robin's head bent close to hers, as if he had bent to give her a kiss."Only in our room." he said his mouth close to her ear. It was barely audible, but the furious intent carried through nevertheless.

The rules didn't apply here then. She gave a breathless laugh. "Oh Robin you naughty man." She looked over to see if William was paying any attention to their little tête-à-tête. Though she didn't think he needed to be looking in order to eavesdrop on them.

The group he had approached consisted of a very refined looking older couple and a young woman, all dressed in variants of red and black, with patterns similar to the shield mounted right under the head on wall behind them. House colors, she thought.

"Belladonna my dear," William said, claiming the woman's hand for a kiss. The faces of all three morphed into masks of charmed delight at the sound of his voice. Belladonna curtsied. ."My liege." She said gazing coyly up at him through her lashes.

They are playing the game too she thought and looked questioningly at Robin. By the sorrow she saw in his face she presumed the answer was yes.

"Goodness me look how you have grown!" William exclaimed looking at the copper head young woman in the group. "The spitting image of her dear grandmother is she not your grace?" he asked the older woman, looking at the head up above. "Your memory is as sharp as ever my lord." she said giving him a sharp smile. "Many have forgotten the visage of the warrior duchess with state she is in now." She said also looking up at the head.

The head could have once belonged to a woman Regina thought, but contorted and rotted as it was, it was really hard to tell. "She may have gotten her looks, but you have certainly inherited her sharp wit my dear." William said giving her an amused chuckle. "Come, You must join us in our table and amuse us further."

"Your majesty is too kind." She said curtsying again.

He called a few more names, and each courtier upon hearing their name broke out of their group to come join them on the dais. Robin held her seat out for her. _Don't engage_ he silently mouthed bending over her in the pretense of getting her settled in. She just gave him her most dazzling smile in return. Giving her a suspicious look, he seated himself between her and William. She was sure if he could get away with it he would seat her even farther from his brother. This was going to be a long night she thought. The servants began serving the first course.

* * *

"William, this is absolutely scrumptious." She said ignoring Robin's shove to her foot under the table. "I'm tempted to steal your cook before leaving." she put a dainty bite in her mouth. It actually was quite good.

"The cook can make anything taste delicious." said the thin faced girl on left who had only moved the food around on her plate all through dinner.

"I had the cook make all the courses especially for you Regina darling." Came William's voice.

She didn't like the sound of that. "What's in it dear?"

"Horse flesh of course. You did say you had a fondness for them."

The bite she had taken was refusing to go down. Robin handed her a goblet with a look that said I told you so as clearly as if he had shouted it in her ear. She forcibly washed it down before it could turn into an embarrassing fit of coughing. "Mmm. You are so thoughtful." If she had said she liked babies would she be eating roast babes with salad dressing now? The portly man on William's right asked him something. "How many courses are left?" she whispered frantically under her breath to Robin.

"A lot." he muttered back.

"Now that we have the heir back safe and sound, what would be the point of that?" William was saying. _What now?_

"True sire, but should the land not have a queen of its own?" the portly man on William's right replied. "Her majesty is the only one to grace this halls in many a century." the man added nodding his head in her direction. William didn't answer. He was thoughtfully flipping his knife. "If I may be so bold as to offer my niece for consideration-" Robin couldn't hide the disgust in his face looking at the man. _Really? Getting greedy in William's court?_ Avarice and stupidity, always so hand in hand.

The rattle of dropped cutlery came from somewhere down the line of one of the long tables. The niece in question she presumed, having the living daylights scared out of her by hearing the prospect. Immediately the courtiers occupying the long tables that till then where dining in absolute silence, began striking up conversations all at once to cover up the obtrusive noise.

"I suppose it's as good a time as any." William finally said. Regina blinked and William was standing in front of the dais again. Arranged in two rows on either side of him were all the young women of the court. All looking as stricken as people seating one moment and standing in front of a deranged king the next would look, before schooling their faces into blank masks. They were good. She wasn't sure she could recover that fast.

William began walking through them, looking each one up and down, as if perusing merchandise in a shop's window. The long tables and the food laid on them had vanished and the rest of the courtiers were at the posts they had occupied when the three of them had entered the hall. She and Robin were at the front of the dais again, having an unhindered view of the proceedings. His hands resting on his sides had fisted, and she could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. He was forcibly holding himself back, and the effort showed by the beads of sweat rolling down his face and the pulse beating at his temple.

William stopped in front of the girl in the red and black, the one he had called Adelina. In the next breath the rest of the girls were standing beside their parents and in the middle of the great hall stood only William and Adelina. A muffled sound came from the left, and Regina turned to see Belladonna, a fist pushed on her mouth, her husband's hands around her, as if to hold both of them in check.

"My lady Adelina, may I have the honor of claiming you as my queen?" A black rose had appeared in his hand and he offered it to her with a flourish.

"**No**" the cry had torn itself from the throat of a young man, dressed in white and blue. Another younger man beside him had a restraining hand on his shoulder and a girl on his other side was clinging desperately to his jacket sleeve.

William turned slowly to him. "No?" he asked. Adelina rushed passed him to stand in front of the young man. "Don't heed him my lord. He is but a jealous man." Her voice rang out. "Their family has fallen on short times. I'm sure he'd wished for his sister to be chosen Instead." she said scathingly. "But the king has chosen me. And you must kneel to your queen."

From her vantage point, Regina could see their faces clearly. Shock, denial and entreaty had all come to the man's stricken face at the girl's approach, and underneath it all heartbroken love showed. The man went down to the floor, as if a great force had shoved him from behind. "You heard your queen." William's voice was cold, as cold as his eyes had been when she had first met him. The girl closed her eyes, as if she could not bear to see the young man so prostrate at her feet, and a look of such agony passed through her features that Regina took an unconscious step towards her, but Robin's arms wrapping around her stopped her, forcing her back against him. "You promised" he whispered in her ear. _I did nothing of the sort_ she was tempted to retort back.

They were so young, just the age they were, when he got taken away. When she had had to become a queen. Why weren't her parents doing anything? The boy didn't seem to have any. Watching the proceeding from their vantage point mounted up on the wall, no doubt. She looked at the woman, Belladonna, who seemed to be only keeping herself upright by the support of her husband's hand around her middle. "They can't" Robin said, his mouth touching her earlobe. "Or it would be all of their heads joining the grandmother on the wall."

The girl turned with a look of gleeful enjoyment, smiling brilliantly up at William. "Shouldn't they all do it my lord?" She asked coyly, giving him an unabashed smile. He laughed. "Of course my love." The sound of thousand knees impacting the floor was deafening. Regina didn't know if it was because in their haste to avoid being pushed, they had all forgone dignity or if it was William's invisible hand shoving them down.

Robin took them both down the steps to the soon to be queen. He took her hand and bowed low over it. "Lady Adelina, my brother could not have chosen more wisely."

"Our mother would be greatly pleased I think." William said smugly.

"No doubt." Robin said looking at him inscrutably.

Regina took the girl's hands. They were clammy and cold. She gave them a slight squeeze, inclining her head to her. "My dear, we shall become the best of friends." The girl gave her a strained smile. She was getting all the evil she could take for one night, becoming cozy with the evil queen didn't seem to be that heartening a prospect.

"A hunt" William declared. "Tomorrow night at moon rise." He addressed the crowd at large. "In honor of the new found solidarity of our family." The room erupted in applause and cheer once more. William was basking in the crowd's response, so it was only Robin and Regina who saw the single tear fall from the blue eyed girl on the single black rose.


	8. The Home and The Heart

The bed under her was cozy and warm. She burrowed deeper under the covers. If she tried, she could pretend she was in her bed at home in Storybrooke. That this nightmare had ended long ago or better yet had never happened. Henry would be asleep in his room, and she would have to go drag him out of bed and get him ready for school…She opened her eyes. This wasn't the time for fantasizing and daydreaming; Wishes were worth nothing unless you acted on them.

Looking around the room, her eyes found Robin. He was slumped against the window, his eyes heavy lidded, staring outside the window. The gloomy grey light that passed for morning in this place and the fire backlighting him from behind gave a chiaroscuro cast to his profile; as if the darkness and light had made a battlefield of his face, or maybe it was just the war going on in his soul, spilling over to the physical world. _Or maybe, it's just my imagination on overdrive._

"Did you sleep at all?" She asked archly, rising out of bed. He was silent, not acknowledging her question in anyway. "You need to sleep. How long do you think you can go on like this?"

"Haven't slept well inside these walls since I was a child." his voice was raspy, his gaze fixed to a point down below.

"Well, you're not a child anymore." _Stop acting like one._ She shouldn't provoke him. Gentle Reasoning was the way to go. "You don't need to sleep well, just as long as you sleep." If that had sounded derisive it wasn't her fault; he needed to get a grip. Seeing that her barb had failed to incite any reaction whatsoever, she came to stand beside him, wanting to see what had captured his attention so thoroughly.

The window looked out to a body of water so large it almost seemed to be a lake, but the stone ledge encircling it proved it of manmade origins. It was surrounded on all sides by lush greenery that had the appearance of an unkempt garden, and it looked all the more wild and glorious because of that. "It's beautiful." She whispered.

"Golden bars on a gilded cage." he said softly under his breath, a contemptuous tinge to his voice. She was going to ask him what he meant, when a lone figure approaching the pond caught her attention.

"Isn't that Adelina?" she asked.

He didn't answer. She turned to look at him. Guilt and shame and rage were written so large on his face, it took him a moment to hide it all from her scrutiny. "It appears so."

"How do I get down there?" she asked, having made up her mind.

He arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I want to talk to her." _Not that it's any of your business._

"Then go ask the castle nicely." his voice was deadpan. Ask the castle? What did he mean ask the castle?

"I don't have time for jokes Robin. She might leave at any minute."

He gave a slight shake of the head. "I wasn't joking. Really, you need to go ask the castle." Why did she had a feeling he was enjoying this? "You needn't shout or anything. Just thinking it very hard will do." He added without any trace of mockery in his voice or face, but a twinkle had come to play behind the tiredness in his eyes.

She really couldn't tell if he was having her on or not. _One way to find out._ "Fine." she bit out. "But in the meantime, you are going to go to sleep." she couldn't help barking it out at him in her evil queen voice; the one she used when she expected immediate obedience.

"Am I now?" he said with feigned surprise.

She smiled engagingly at him. "You know, I'm rather good at sleeping charms. And you did say this room was off limits..."she let the implications sync in. He didn't know she had no magic. She was bluffing his brother, why not him?

His nostrils flared. Ok, maybe she shouldn't have threatened him like that. "Shouldn't you be on your way?" He asked sweetly after a pause. "Better approach her quietly from behind, or you might scare your little friend away." He said in a helpful voice. "Evil queen and all that…"

She felt her lips tighten. "Save your cheek for your brother." She growled turning from the window and starting for the door. "And get some sleep so you don't fall on your face mid hunt." Let him fall down and be trampled by the horses. What did she care?

"Why do you care?" Came his voice from beside the window. "For the girl I mean."

He sounded genuinely mystified; His eyebrows drawn over the bridge of his nose, eyes burning with a thousand questions, looking at her as if she was a puzzle he couldn't solve. She turned back to the door again, and closed her eyes for one long moment. She reached for the handle, intending to leave his query unanswered, but stopped midway. "I was in a similar situation once." She said softly over her shoulder on the way out the door.

* * *

The castle had been quite accommodating, once she had got over the absurdness of the whole thing and asked it nicely, a doorway had opened, leading down a flight of stairs and eventually ending on a backdoor that opened onto the garden path.

The greenery around her was as lush and wild as it had appeared from up above, but down here she had a chance to hear the absolute silence reigning over the whole place. No birds singing, no tiny little furry creatures scurrying away; even her footfalls on the cracked and moss covered stone pathway made no sound.

She found the girl exactly as she's last seen her from the room's window. The wisps of morning mist clung to her form like silvery chains of smoke, and in the cloudy overhung sky her copper hair had a glint to it that reminded her of the ambers of a dying fire. Regina shook herself. This place was making her far too poetic.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

The girl jumped to her feat, her eyes wild, trying to move and keep herself still all at the same time. Her efforts caused her to keel back towards the pond, but Regina's hands got there in time, keeping the girl from diving head first into the ice cold water.

"Really, if I'd known my company was that disagreeable I wouldn't have bothered." she didn't like the slight edge of self-deprecation that had crept into her voice unbidden.

"Oh your majesty, you just startled me, that's all." The girl said still trying to get her breath under control. "No one really comes here."

"I'm sorry for barging in on your peaceful get away." Maybe she really shouldn't have come.

"Nonsense!" The girl said with a high laugh. She had almost recovered, but the laugh had sounded nervous. It was really hard to tell with these people; they had all become such consummate actors by the necessity of living under William's rule.

"And please, call me Regina." She tried to put all the warmth she could into her voice and eyes, wanting to put the girl at ease.

"As you wish." The girl's face had close off, her voice hesitant, and distrust evident in her eyes. "Please, sit." The girl said invitingly, indicating the spot beside her on the stone ledge.

She sat, thinking maybe it wasn't that bad of an idea after all. "Ah it's so cold!" the stone was so cold its touch almost seared her to the bone. How had the girl been sitting on it for all this time?

"Everything is these days." Adelina said looking around. Her face fell, losing its forced veneer of brightness before she recovered it again.

"You don't need to pretend with me Adelina, if I may call you that..."

"Of course!" She replied giving her a small smile. Regina gave her a grateful smile of her own.

"My grandmother used to tell us tales of a long ago time, when the sun would always shine down on all the land and everywhere you turned warmth was there to greet you." Adelina's voice had gained a sing song quality, like she was reciting a fairy tale she had been told as a child.

She had a faraway look on her face, lost in her imagination of a land of laughter and light. "Was that in your grandmother's time?" Regina asked her softly, not wanting to disturb the trance like state the girl was in.

"No" she said, her face clouding over. "I don't think they are true. They're only stories."

"But stories can also be true." And a good way to get some information when you have a close mouthed as hell partner in crime.

The girl gave her a sad smile. "I hope not. This land has very few happy stories. The ending is almost always an unhappy one. If they were to be true...maybe it is better that they are not."

"Are there many stories about this place?" This was Robin's home, once upon a time. Whatever had happened, it must have been in here.

"Oh yes. All Tales of darkness and misery I'm afraid."

"Can you tell me one of them?" Like what happened here to put that haunted look in Robin's eyes and suck all humanity out of William?

The girl was silent, dipping her hand in the still waters of the pond. The water must be freezing, but she didn't seem to feel it. "They say the old king built this pond," Her hand stroked the water rhythmically, as if she was moving it in time to an unheard melody. She was leaning toward the water's surface and her copper locks had fallen forward, almost obscuring her face. "Had it made so large that from a distance it would seem to be a lake. He had a queen he loved very much. So much so that he had built a tower of a stone so white and so brilliant, it shone like a beacon in the sun, and at night it became luminous like a second moon, reflecting the light of the skies up above."

looking down at the pond, Regina could see the girl's hand moving through her own reflection in the water, letting the surface quiet down so her face could take shape, before running her hands through it, distorting the image again. "It was the most beautiful sight, and it was a _prison_." her hand stopped, her head rising to gaze at a point over on the far side of the pond. Regina could make out a shape of crumbling ruins, but in the fog and the early morning light, it was hard to tell. "The king had made the pond for his queen, so she could gaze at it through her window up on the tower and think it a lake."

Her blue eyes turned to look into Regina's. "Maybe he had thought it would remind her of her home, and maybe she would become less lonely. Her prison more bearable." Lost in her story, she had forgotten to put on her mask. Her gaze was unfocused, deep in introversion, the emotions on her face told a tale deeper than sorrow; it was a bleak desolation, born out of absolute hopelessness.

"They say a girl once drowned herself in this pond," she said, gaze returning to her reflection. "She and the boy she loved." She jerked her hand through her reflection again. "It wouldn't be too bad I think. The cold, welcoming...taking it all away…"

Regina jerked the hand out of the water. It was colder than ice and glaringly red, as if it had been scalded by boiling water. She gripped it tightly with both of hers, trying to massage some warmth back into it. "**No!** There is always another way. Always." She didn't care who she was sounding like. This girl was not killing herself. "You can't-"

The smile the girl gave her in return was the saddest Regina had ever seen. "Do you think he will let me remain dead? He would bring me back again, in whatever shape that took his fancy. Death is too much of a blessing for the likes of us." She took her hand back. Regina couldn't think, couldn't comprehend. Magic couldn't bring people back from the dead. It was the first rule. _He commands a magic far darker and greater than anything you, or even the dark one, could ever imagine._ Robin's voice echoed in her mind.

The girl had gone back to staring at her reflection. At least her hand wasn't the angry chapped red it was a minute ago. "Nothing living survives down there." She was pointing at the water. The faraway look was back in her eyes. "The winter the king ordered all the children to court, I brought my goldfish with me." she said. "I wanted to have a piece of home. I brought it to the pond, thinking it deserved to live in a place as beautiful as this." She looked sideways at Regina. "That is when I met Ywain you know." She meant the young man from the fiasco in the hall. "We were so young...I was only five I think, and oh so scared." She was smiling fondly at the memories. There was no regret in her voice. She knew where to find her pleasures; they must have been so few and so far in between and all the more precious because of it. "He used to tease me mercilessly, trying to hide the fact that he too was just a little boy, frightened out of his mind, pining for his home." the amount love on her face was painful to watch. Regina couldn't get the picture of the man prostrate and broken on the ground out of her mind. "So we became each other's home."

Breaking out of her contemplation of the times past, her eyes snapped to Regina with a look of panic that said she'd just realized she shouldn't have said the things she did. She didn't trust her, and she had every right not to.

"Adelina-"

"-So kind of you to come join me your majesty, but I really must be on my way…" She jumped up, almost running backward in her haste to get away. Regina didn't try to stop her. She looked up at the castle, at where she thought the window of their room might be. She could almost make out a shadowy figure standing there, obscured by the brightening light of day and the fire lighting the room from inside.

_I'm not letting him do this to them. I'm not letting her end up like me._ She vowed to herself, sitting on the edge of the dead water, gazing up at that window. _Whatever it takes._

* * *

She opened the door slowly, thinking Robin might be asleep, but not having very high hopes. He was laying on the bed, his eyes closed, a hand in a loose fist by his side, the other resting on his stomach. Despite the crackling fire, the air was very chilly, as if the coldness had seeped into the fabric of this place, and no amount of heat could drive it away.

She tiptoed closer, reaching for the duvet and slowly covering his sleeping form. She wished she could say his face was restful, but it wasn't; it was tight and drawn even in sleep, and he looked pale. She couldn't imagine this place ever a home to him, but it must have been, when he had been a child. He said that was the only time he could sleep well in here. She didn't know if that was because the evils of now hadn't existed then or if he had been too young to understand them.

She went to the window, looking down at the mammoth pond. Even the beauty in this place was a dead one. "What was his name?" Came Robin's voice from behind. _Sleeping beauty speaks._ She knew finding him so conveniently asleep was too good to be true.

"Why aren't you asleep?" She said turning, but there wasn't much heat in her voice.

He sat up, the duvet falling down. "Told you I can't. It's not like I don't want to." his voice was defensive. The dark circles under his eyes had become two glaring bruises, and tiredness showed itself in his every move.

She went to sit at the foot of the bed. "What was whose name?"

He didn't answer for a time, just looking at her. "The man you loved."

She felt her back stiffen, her defenses slam into place, her face draining away from all emotion and leaving in its place the cold mask she had perfected over the years. "Sorry." His shoulders had hunched over, his gaze falling down. "I shouldn't have asked. Forget I said anything."

He made a move as if to get out of bed. "Daniel." He froze halfway out. He looked back at her, compassion, regret and understanding in his eyes. She didn't mind them very much, coming from him. He sat back down, a bit closer to her this time.

"What..." He began hesitantly. "What happened to him?"

"Why do you think anything must have happened?" she snapped sharply before she could stop herself.

"You did marry a king." he said gently, not taking offence at her tone. "And by all accounts you were not an evil queen at first."

"Maybe I just decided to leave him because I wanted to be a queen more than I wanted him."

"Did you?" he asked, there was no accusation in his voice, but he didn't seem to believe her either.

Her heart was beating too fast, its beat pounding in her ear. The air had become too hot, suffocating almost. She jumped up, turning away, not able to stand the gentle empathy in his eyes. He didn't say anything, and she just stood there, her back to him. She sat down on the bed again. "He died. Was killed actually." she turned her head to the side, still not looking directly at him. "My mother did it." She gave a mirthless chuckle. "Really wanted me to be a queen."

"I am so sorry Regina."

His voice was soft, filled with genuine regret. "The past is the past." she turned to look at him. "We can't let it ruin our present, our future." She had to make him understand. "I have to get back to my son. I have to make sure he's ok." She let all her pain and anxiety show in her face. "I know you miss your son too." A sigh tore itself from his throat. He looked away. "Tell me about him." she asked. He was silent for so long, she thought he wasn't going to answer.

"He is four, My Roland. The most adorable child you'll ever see." The love for his son shone through his eyes, came across in his voice, in the smile that played on his lips. "And brave, the bravest little boy. More than its good for him."

"He takes after his father then." she said, her voice showing the smile on her own lips. He laughed, looking at her.

"He is game for anything. I don't know what I'm going to do with him in a few years. How I'm going to keep him out of trouble." The laughter died in his eyes and left his lips. "He is all I have. I need to get back to him...but I don't know how. This place, what I've done-"

"-It doesn't matter what you have done." she interrupted him, wanting to wipe away the self-loathing she saw in his face. "You are not that person anymore. You are Robin hood, leader of the merry men, champion of the poor, scourge of the evil and the corrupt." She arched her eyebrow, not quite managing to keep a straight face. He laughed again. She really liked the sound of his laugh. She became serious again." It doesn't matter who you were. You are Roland's father. That's all that matters." Their children were all that mattered. She was going to help Adelina, but her first goal would always be to get back to her son.

"You need your strength. You're no use to anyone if you can't stand straight on your feet, much less come up with a plan of action."

He closed his eyes in a long blink. When he opened them, acceptance showed and behind it, gratitude. He lay down on the bed again, his eyes staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. "You're not who I thought you would be."

"People do have a tendency to surprise." She answered, putting a hand on his calf. "Sleep now Robin." If she had her magic, maybe she could have kept the nightmares at bay for just this once. He looked at her, his eyes hazing over with sleep. He gave her a drowsy smile and closed them. "Even themselves ey?" he murmured softly before his breath evened out and he was finally, blessedly asleep. She leaned her head against the bedpost, listening to him breath. _Yes, even themselves._


	9. The Ties That Bound

She didn't know how much longer she could hold her breath. The grass two inches to the side of her feet sizzled, the fire that had engulfed it going out in a puff of smoke, the poor greenery turning to mere specks of dust. The single giant red eye in front of her glinted maliciously. Getting ready for another go she guessed, and this time, she had a feeling it wasn't aiming for the grass. At least the poor grass hadn't suffered much; anything would be preferable to death by that _smell_. She had thought Barghests were smelly, but compared to this, this monstrosity in front of her, theirs was the heavenliest of all scents.

"I knew you would get along swimmingly!" William's voice exclaimed cheerfully. _It's a she?_ How could he tell, the thing didn't even have any skin! It- that thing was not a she -moved its head toward William at the sound of his voice, muscle and sinew rippling , and the yellow filaments she had first thought were puss and which, upon later unwanted inspection proved to be veins, dripped and pulsed with dark black blood. She was so glad she had skipped lunch, or it would have pushed her breakfast, already taking residence an inch below her throat, up and out the rest of the way.

She still hadn't let her breath out, and the red eye in front of her was beginning to split into shimmering counterparts. "I think she likes you." Vindictive bastard wasn't he? _I am sorry William I called your precious Barghests smelly. _How long was he going to punish her for that? "It's a Nuckelavee if you were wondering." She wasn't. And if he expected to goad her into taking up the banter again, well she wasn't going to move a muscle of her mouth. Wasn't going to move any muscle. Any time soon. "Well it was, I've made some improvements. Had to cut away some unwanted parts...Didn't like the carry on passenger it had." So that was where the gaping hole in its back came from. Not that its other parts were any more whole. "Trouble is, it's not really taking to anyone else. It actually, um, kills anyone who attempts it." he was wincing so hard she could actually hear it in his voice. "But as you are the evil queen I'm sure you are more than capable of handling her." he added cheerfully.

From the corner of her eye, she saw him turn to Robin. "Brother, as you won't be able to call on your familiar, I thought you'd like to ride on Regina's steed."

_Not my steed. Someone just get the thing out of my sight_. She couldn't move. Robin's arms slowly, slowly closed around her, his head coming to rest beside her own. The red eye swiveled to stare at them. "I would like to make sure of that first, before taking you up on your generous offer." he said. She could feel his throat swallowing hard. He began inching them away; she let him, not moving anything other than what was absolutely necessary. The thing roared- it didn't neigh, it didn't whinny, nothing even remotely horse like -it roared, rising up on its hind legs, looming over the two of them, and opened its mouth wide, giving her an unenviable view down its putrid digestive track. Her breath chose that moment to leave her, and the stench hit her with such force, she was sure she was going to faint. _I could be that lucky_! This was it; the eye had turned the color of molten lava, and it was staring directly at her.

"Easy dear girl," William said. Tendrils of shadow wind themselves around the horse-wannabe creature, pushing it down in an avalanche of darkness. "Let's see what my brother has up his sleeve." She sagged against Robin, not caring or able to keep up appearances just now. It was the fact that the thing was supposed to be a horse that unsettled her more than anything else. She really shouldn't have told William that she liked horses. She should have known better.

Robin's arms tightened around her in reassurance."I've got this." He said and let go, starting for the far side of the clearing. She gazed longingly at the group of courtiers gathered on the other side with their beautiful _normal_ horses. Why couldn't they get one of those? She turned to see what Robin was up to. She just hoped he had a way out.

The sky was bright tonight, the moon and the stars out in all their glory, illuminating Robin's kneeling form a few feet from where the trees stood guard with hands outstretched to the skies, giving his profile an otherworldly appearance. A hush had fallen over the forest. Not the kind of silence that dominated wherever William was present, but a respectful hush, pregnant with expectation. Like the whole forest was waiting with baited breath to see what their prince might do.

She found herself standing beside him, her feet having carried her there of their own accord. He fisted a hand in the earth in front of him drawing it to his mouth, and taking a deep breath blew it up onto the sky. It moved on the wind, not like the heavy soil particles that it was, but iridescent specks of light, basking in the glow that surrounded him.

She had thought it the light of the moon and the stars, but it was coming from him, intensifying with every passing second. He was looking up, in his face a serenity she had seldom seen on any other, and a surety pooling in his eyes.

The light had become blinding, and she suddenly realized it wasn't all coming from him. She looked up. There amidst the lights of the sky, a piece of heavens had dislodged itself and was plummeting down towards the two of them like a falling star. No, not plummeting. Its movement had purpose. Swimming in the sea of blackness, running towards them, a lion, glowing silver and pure against the backdrop of the inky sky. Robin had risen without her realizing, and had a hand outstretched towards the approaching light, the lion on his arm blazing silver, the blackness around it pulsing with life, mirroring the image up in the sky.

The silver apparition landed on the ground in front of them. The lion reared on its hind legs, gathering darkness like a cloak around him. The front paws descended on Robin. She should be afraid, but she wasn't. The man and the lion looked into each other's eyes, recognition and welcome glinting in both gazes. The lion opened wide its jaws, letting loose a below that shook her to her very core, and Robin laughed in reply. Their heads turned in unison to look at her. In his eyes, stars swam. Time stopped, and she lost herself in them. The lion bellowed again.

"All right, all right!" Robin said chuckling. "Regina, may I have the honor of introducing Mios, who for reason unknown, has deigned to be my familiar. Mios, my lady Regina."

She was mesmerized by the silver gaze that seemed to see so far into her soul. Lifting his paws off Robin, he approached her. Stopping mere inches away, he slowly bowed his massive head to her, bringing their gazes level to each other. She had unconsciously raised her hands to his head, not daring to touch. He closed the distance and her hands were plunged into warm silky strands. It was like touching liquid light. She had been laughing, freer than she had in longer than she cared to remember. She turned to see Robin gazing at her with a soft look in his eyes and a smile playing at his lips.

"He likes you."

"The feeling is mutual." she replied, smiling up at him.

"I see you have not lost your touch brother." William's acid voice burst their bubble. She had forgotten all about him. He had thought Robin would not be able to call on Mios, and he really wasn't happy about the fact that he had. "Now that that's out of the way, let us start the hunt shall we?" It was the first time she felt the smile on his lips was forced, and he had forgotten to hide the hatred in his eyes.

"Of course brother!" Robin was beaming brightly at him in response. "Please proceed." Apparently Mios was not very pleased with that remark. He let out a roar that ruffled Regina's hair but for some reason failed to take away the hearing in her left ear. William arched an annoyed eyebrow at Robin, giving Mios a distasteful look. Robin said something in return, but she wasn't listening.

There, up in the sky, another light was falling towards them, getting closer, its shape getting clearer. The majestic creature galloped down the sky, sparks flying wherever hooves touched the blackness of the night. She let out the breath she had been holding unconsciously and drew closer. There was no hesitation this time. Her hands found soft warmth, one going to scratch behind one ear, the other running down the velvety coat. To call her merely a horse was a grave injustice. She was the most beautiful creature Regina had ever seen. She rose on her hind legs, giving a whinny of greeting. Regina ran her hands through her silky mane, over her delicate muzzle and the slight ridge she felt on her forehead, almost like a miniature horn.

She turned her head to where Robin had come to stand on one side. By the light in the corner of her vision she knew Mios was standing on the other. "She is beautiful." Robin said softly, his voice full of wonder and awe.

"What's her name?" Regina asked him, not able to tear her hands away from her.

"That is something only you can tell." his hand came to join hers on the other side of the elegant head, going to scratch behind the opposite ear. "She came here for you."

The name swam to the front of her thoughts from somewhere deep in her soul. "Aran." Regina murmured.

"Aran." Robin repeated, joy and warmth running through his voice.

"Well isn't this wonderful." William's voice was beyond annoyed now. She didn't want to turn to look at him. "Now if it's all the same to the both of you, I'd like to get back to what we actually came here for."

"Of course dear." she said turning, her hand still entangled in Aran's mane. In the light emanating from the two creatures, William's face had lost some of its youthfulness, his skin looking sallow and haggard. He whirled in a cloud of darkness, going towards the middle of the clearing. The two of them went to join the nobles on the other side.

Regina came to stand beside Adelina. Roiling shadows had begun to take form in the middle of the clearing under William's gaze. The shadows slowly began to take discernible shapes; torsos, hands, legs. The cloudy darkness completely dissipated, and in its place stood a group of about a dozen men, bound by chains of darkness and shadow, struggling and riling on the ground. This was what they were hunting? _People?_

At her side, Adelina gave a distressed cry. Regina looked to the middle of the men. Weighed down by William's chains, face full of hatred, struggling for all that he was worth, lay Ywain.

"Now to the business at hand." William said in a satisfied tone. "As I'm feeling generous, I will even give you an hour head start, to spice things up. I suggest you use it wisely." Adelina took a step forward, but Regina stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, eyes savage and wild. She could not recognize this girl in front of her. Regina got close to her face, whispering furiously. "He is not dying." she shook the girl slightly. Confronting William right now would only get the two of them killed. "Let us handle it." Adelina stared at her, her breath ragged, her eyes moving between her and Robin. She jerked herself out of Regina's grasp and moved to where William stood over his soon to be prey. Slipping a hand into William's she cooed, "My lord, a dozen! We shall have to hunt till dawn to get them all!"

"An occasion as great as our union warrants such extravagance." He said, drawing her hand to his lips for a kiss. She giggled happily at him. "Did you see your gift my lady? All will learn. No insolence to the queen shall ever go unpunished from this moment on"

"Oh your majesty you are far too kind." She said breathlessly.

"You are my queen; this is what you are due."

William turned to the prisoners. "Hmm, I feel something amiss." He narrowed his eyes, and another figure came to join the other prisoners. The poor man was too shell-shocked to do more than move his mouth in an imitation of a fish out of water. It was the fat man from dinner, who had wanted to auction off his niece. "Now it's more like it." William declared pleased with himself. He clapped once, and the prisoners disappeared, the sound of hunting horns filling the clearing. The hunters began to mount their steeds, getting ready to give chase. Adelina's steely blue gaze met hers over the throng. There was an implied threat in them, saying she had put her trust in Regina's word, and if she did not uphold her promise, she would not like the consequences. Regina gave her a hard stare of her own. _And what other option did you have girl?_ She was the girl's only chance at saving the man she loved, and they both knew it.

She turned to Robin, seeing her own grim determination mirrored there. "Shall we begin, my lady?" He asked, not just about the hunt. For the first time, she felt him awaken from the haze of dread and trepidation he had fallen into since coming to this place. It was time to begin paying back William for all his generosity.

She felt a devilish smile curl her lips. "I thought you'd never ask."


	10. Truth and Lies

"I thought you could track!" she felt they have been running in circles for the past hour. He looked up at her from where he was kneeling on the ground, Mios prancing at his side.

"Not when he doesn't let them leave any!" he was annoyed, frustrated and fear was beginning to worm its way into his eyes.

No, they were not losing them. She dismounted Aran, advancing towards him. "There were twelve men! How can he know where every single one of them is? What kind of a hunt is that?"

"He doesn't need to know where they are. It's to make the hunt more interesting that he doesn't let them leave any tracks." He said bitterly. "To show everyone there is no esca-"

A horrible scream ripped through the forest, followed by triumphant roars and the sound of tearing flesh and wet hungry growls. The gurgling scream died soon after it had first went up. _Another one. _"How many are left?" She asked, the blood turning to ice in her veins.

"Four I think. If we have heard all of them." he said quietly.

Ywain wasn't one of the fallen. He wasn't. "You need to find him Robin." Her voice wasn't hard, wasn't commanding, it was imploring, but she didn't care. All through the hunt Daniel's face had swam in front of her eyes, dying a million times over and over and over again.

"He's not Daniel Regina." Robin was gripping her shoulders tightly, his eyes boring into hers. His hands left her shoulders to come rest gently at the sides of her face. "If he was one the fallen-"

**"-No!"** She jerked herself out of his hold. "He is not dead yet." She bit out vehemently. "You need to find him, now." the iron was back in her voice, demanding obedience.

"But he can't now, can he?" Said a disjointed voice. She looked around confused, trying to locate the source of the accented remark. **"You!"** Robin snarled with so much rage and fury that she twisted around in alarm. She saw him go ballistic in the space of an instant. He leapt up in the air and onto the trees, towards a slender figure sitting nonchalantly on one branch. He landed on the branch, but his hands closed around empty air. He whirled, his whole body coiled like a lion's, waiting to spring at his prey, eyes unrecognizable with savage fury.

"Now don't go havin' your hair off lad!" The voice cried mockingly. "That's the way of treatin' an old friend these days is it?"

The figure was straddling another branch on the other side, legs dangling insolently, a devilish grin on his face. Robin was preparing to pounce on him again, which she was sure would do nothing but enrage him further. "Robin!" she called his name forcefully. "Robin! Get down here." He leapt at the man in the other tree, who promptly vanished again. His eyes roamed the trees around them, not heeding her calls.

She decided she had to climb up a tree and bang him on the head a few times to knock some sense back into his thick skull, when suddenly his eyes snapped to hers. No not her, but at something behind her. He dived down, landing in front of her. "Get away from her." He uttered each word with biting menace. She spun around. The man stood there, hand up in front of him in a gesture of complete surrender, eyes glinting green mischief.

"Surely the evil queen doesn't need anny protection." The man replied in his melodic staccato accent. "Although, now that she does not have her magic..."

"What?" Robin said, his body going stock-still in shock. The man blinked innocently at him. "Didn't you know?" His eyebrows shot up comically in exaggerated surprise. "She's been unable to perform anny magic since she opened her eyes in that tree." He lowered his hands, a slightly mocking smile curling one corner of his mouth. "A right tidy spell you've been draggin' her along haven't you lad? Not tellin' her a wit of what's goin' on...And why do you think your arse hasn't been blasted to the middle of some other nowhere by now?" His smile gained full force. "It wasn't your charmin' personality now was it?"

Robin turned to her, incredulity written large on his face. "Tell me it's not true." She looked at him. What did he expect her to say? The disbelief died down at her silence, giving way to anger burning in his eyes. "Tell me I didn't let you be dragged into this nightmare with no way of protecting yourself-"

"-When are you going to learn Robin? No one lets me do anything! I make my own choices, not you, not anyone else!" She could feel her own face burning hot with fury. How dare he? When had she ever asked for _his_ protection?

"And you didn't see fit to tell me of this rather important development so I could compensate for it on my plan-"

"Your plan? What plan? We have been flying by the seat of our pants and you know it! So what I can't do magic? Neither can you!"

Before Robin had a chance to retort back, the man's voice stopped them in their tracks, "That's not the proper truth now is it?" They both turned to look at him in confusion. "On either count." He looked at her, drawing his eyebrows together in a look of puzzlement. "Surely you have noticed it by now." At her blank look, he went on, "The man slept like a babe all day he did! And he couldn't do that even when he was a babe!" What was he talking about? He looked at them hopefully, waiting for them to get whatever it was he going on about. As their silence stretched, he gave an exasperated huff. "The girl had her hand in that antithesis to all things life givin' they call water, and the damage just magically disappeared! Magic bein' the operative word here."

"What?" Regina and Robin exclaimed in unison.

"Now they get it. Give the chaps a cwtch." He said, rolling his eyes. "Proper half soaked you are the two of you!" He muttered under his breath. Turning back to her, his face lost its playfulness; instead of the youthfulness of a young boy, the face staring back at her held wisdom and knowledge beyond her understanding.

"I...what are you talking about? I didn't..I can't.." Regina was babbling and not making any sense, either in her mind or out loud.

"Your magic never left you you foolish girl. Just the hold the darkness had over it when you let go of your rage. And you lost control over your own magic." He took a step towards her. "But it found ways of comin' to your aid it did."

How can he know all that? He was wrong. The magic had left. She had the hollowness inside to prove it.

"Don't listen to him." Robin said, taking her by the arm and drawing her behind him. "Nothing good ever comes from listening to him." His eyes were full of hatred and rage, his lips two colorless thin lines.

"Come now boyo, I don't intend the lady any harm! Or you dear lad! I'm just here to help I am."

"Like you did the last time?" His hands had fisted and he was forcibly holding himself in check.

"Look you now, it's not my fault you didn't carry out my instructions -"

"-Not carry out?!"Robin cried disbelievingly. "I did exactly as you said. And look where it got me. He is now even more powerful, more vicious than he was before!"

"I held up my end I did. Any fault lies at your door."

Robin lost it again. Regina had to cling to him with both hands and all of her weight to keep him from lunging at the dark haired man. "He is baiting you!" she hissed in his ear.

Robin let himself be held back, still glaring furiously at him." Did you see what he did to Anna?" he rasped. She wound her arms tighter around him, not liking the anguished guilt she heard in his voice.

"You're not to blame for that lad." The man replied softly.

"No we both are." Robin said, his whole body shaking. "You lied!"

"I did not lie." She had at first thought his eyes were green, but she now saw they were the light grey of a colorless winter sky. "It's not my fault the land do love you too much."

Robin uttered a disgusted sound and turned away from him, going towards where Mios and Aran were patiently waiting for them. She almost turned to follow him, but she couldn't make herself. "Do you know how to track them?" She asked the man.

He turned his blue green eyes to her. "Oh I can do better than that my lady."

"Are you out of your mind?" Robin asked her his voice rising in indignant anger. "He can't be trusted-"

"Well he does seem to be our only chance."

"Regina-"

"-No! I am not letting him die do you understand?" _If I have to make a deal with the devil, well, been there, done that._

He stared at her, emotions passing through his eyes too fast for her to read them. "This is a bad idea." He finally said.

"It's our only idea." she replied holding his gaze a moment longer. She turned back to the other man to see his eyes had become completely green again.

"We've not been introduced proper like my lady." he said, bowing his head to her slightly. "Jack o' Kent, at your humble service."

"Why do you sound welsh?" she blurted out, completely weirded out by the changing color of his eyes. "Why does he sound welsh?" she asked Robin at her side.

"What's a welsh?" he asked befuddled.

"Ah it's from this beautiful little country I used to frequent a while back. They called it Cymru back then though." he informed Robin. "You didn't think you were the first one to grace that particular realm with you presence now did you?" he asked her conversationally. Who was this man?

"What do you want Jack?" Robin asked him, thunder in his expression. "We are not entering any games with you."

"Ah none of you're devilish enough for that boyo. You barely even qualified the last time! And she, well she isn't the evil queen that she was now is she? No use in a game..."

"Are you going help us or not?" she asked him, getting tired of all this nonsense about games. What was the matter with these people?

"Of course I am goin' to help!" he gave them a cheshire grin." That's what family is for now isn't it?"

"We are not family." Robin said, his hands jerking angrily with the vehemence of his denial.

"You lay claim to that twisted brother of yours, and not your dear old uncle?"

"Stop wasting our time!" Regina interjected. "Both of you!" She would get to the bottom of the twisted mess Robin had for a family, but now wasn't the time for it.

Jack gave her a bright smile. "Ay-ay my lady, right you are."

Three men solidified in the space between them, in various poses of flight, shrugging off clouds of darkness and shadow. They looked in panic around them, gazes fastening on Robin and her. She only had eyes for the green eyed blond on the left. He lunged at her, but Robin got there in time, tackling the young man to ground. "We are trying to help you." He gritted out, grappling on the ground with the boy.

He came out on top, a hunting knife pressed to the young man's throat. "Just do it you coward." the man snarled at him, not giving up his futile struggles.

"We're not here to kill you you idiot." Regina told him. "Adelina sent us-"

"-Leave her out of this you filthy pi-" Robin putting pressure on the knife at his throat drew him up short.

"That's a lady you're talking to."

"She is no-"

"-I think we were too hasty" He said conversationally over the boy's rant. "Maybe I should just finish what my brother started."

"Yes why don't you. You-"

"Enough!" Regina shouted at both of them. "Ywain, I promised Adelina I wasn't going to let anything happen to you, and I'm not!" Why was he being this bull-headed? She took a breath, taking in the mulish expression and the dread and torment that hid underneath it.

"The only reason she didn't do something foolish right then and there that would get both of you killed was that promise" She said to him, putting all the sincerity she could into her words.

"And I'm supposed to take your word for it?" He had been burnt too many times to risk the warmth of fire, no matter how welcoming it might seem.

"Adelina's goldfish!" She exclaimed inspiration hitting her suddenly. "The one she killed in the pond! Well not intentionally...Now why would I know that?" She asked him triumphantly.

"What was the fish's name?" he asked. The stubborn cast of his jaw had softened, but distrust still lurked in his eyes.

_Oh._ "Umm, she didn't tell me the name exactly..."

"Yeah, she wouldn't tell me either." he said sheepishly. _The merciless teasing had something to do with that huh? _

"You can let me up now." He said to Robin.

"You sure?" He asked him arching his eyebrows. "No more insults you want to through around?"

"Let him up Robin." Regina told him, not knowing whether to be amused or annoyed.

"And what would you be wantin' me to do with these two fine gentlemen over here?" Jack asked.

The other noble men were at the exact same place they had appeared, bound and gagged in silver chains, staring daggers at them.

"They're with me." Ywain said.

"Where is the other one?" Robin asked Jack.

"And who would you be talkin' about boyo?"

"You know who. There were four left. Where is the other one?"

"Umm, I do think you would not be wantin the other one-"

"-Jack" Robin began threateningly.

"Aright aright." Jack said waving his hands placatingly, and the fat man appeared in front of them. Figured he was going to survive till the end. "You sure this be a good idea boyo? He is not a very savory character..."

"So we throw him to William and his beasts?" Robin said hand pointing in the general direction where occasional growls and howls could be heard.

"He would not hesitate to do the same or worst to you!" Was that concern she heard underlying Jack's words?

"Well I'm not him."

Jack exhaled slowly, looking annoyed. "Let's see what he do have to say on the matter"

"...Will tell the king of your treachery..."the gag appearing back on his mouth cut the pompous tirade up short, and in the next breath the fat man disappeared altogether.

"Bring him back." Robin demanded.

"No. I'll not be helpin' the likes of him."

Robin was going to argue, but Regina cut in. "And how exactly are you going to do that? Help I mean."

"I could send them through the veil..." He began uncertainly.

"Out of the question!" Robin said affronted.

"They would be better off there. Your nain and taid are much better tempered than William is I can tell you."

"No. "Robin was adamant, his voice broking no argument.

"I could hide them from him… There are parts of the forest he doesn't have full control over." That seemed like a feasible plan. "It's not goin' to be indefinite mind you..."

"Fine. Do it for as long as you can manage." Robin replied.

"No! I am not leaving Adelina to that monster..." Ywain shouted, panic and outrage coloring his voice.

"Just get him out." Regina told jack with a roll of her eyes.

"As my lady wishes." jack said smiling at her. The three men disappeared. "Better be off with you then. Runnin' interference and the like. Come back when you do have an inkling of what you're doin'." Jack gave them a provocative wiggle of the eyebrows to go with his comment.

"Give it a rest." Regina muttered. She turned away, dragging an irate Robin after her. "We've got to go run interference."


	11. Unearthing Secrets

The rays of moonlight falling through the outstretched branches of the trees up above her head made them seem like lovers hands always yearning to touch and never able. The sky was still pitch dark. Why wasn't the dawn coming? She ran a hand down Aran's silky mane, taking a deep breath of the crisp night's air filled with the scent of pine and damp leaves, masking the acrid smell of sweat and pent up adrenaline permeating the space around her. She looked to Robin a few paces ahead. His shoulders were rigid, and his hands kept going to his chest, as if wanting to feel the presence of his bow but only finding empty air. He has his gaze fixed on where William stood with his beasts gathered around him, urging them to scent out his remaining prey.

She didn't speak beast, but by the growls and barks going on she guessed they were not on accord about the path they should take, which hopefully meant Jack had been successful in hiding the men. She urged Aran closer coming to stand beside Mios and Robin. She exchanged a glance with him, trying to hide her own trepidation and gauging his, seeing he was doing the same.

"Is something the matter dear?" she called to William, unable to bear the suspense any longer. From the corner of her eye she saw Robin's hand twitch on its way to the empty place on his shoulders.

"No no," William said carelessly over his shoulder. "Just a little spirited disagreement."

"Maybe the beasts have tired." Robin said, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "We have been at it for over 10 hours."

"Maybe we should employ other methods..." Regina said musingly." I'm sure I can find them for you in no time. If you are unable to do so..."

William's head turned sharply to her. "There are rules to every game my dear." His sharp smile turned condescending. "A hunt is not but the ultimate game of chance and exhilaration."

_Not for your intended prey it isn't_. "Well dear, you might have found the source of eternal youth but I need my beauty sleep." She let a hint of jealousy creep into her voice. "You must tell me your secret. I assume you are the older brother and looking as young as you do..."

She had drifted closer to William as she spoke, Robin shadowing her, seething with silent fury. They needed to get this over with. She tried to convey that to him with a surreptitious glance, getting narrowed eyes in return for her trouble.

William gave her a chilling smile. "Oh I'll be sure to do that." he said. "After all the prey are run down." Before she had time to retort back, one of the beasts, a ghostly white monstrosity with blood seeming to pour out of its ears, let out a howl that made the hair on her body stand straight, assaulting her with the prick of a thousand tiny needles.

The beast bolted through the trees, the others following close on its hills. "It seems that is going to be sooner rather than later." William told her, standing in the center of the swarming beasts all running after the one that had caught the scent. She blinked and he was mounted on one of them, hot on the hills of his prey.

She and Robin moved as one, galloping after him. It couldn't be. No, they couldn't have found them. The thick forest foliage whipped her face and arms but she didn't care, and squeezed her thighs hugging Aran's flanks, asking her for more speed. At last the dense tree gave way to a meadow, where the beasts had made a menacing circle, imprisoning in their middle a man cowering with eyes so bulged out they almost showed entirely white.

They both came abreast of William in seconds. It took the trapped man sometime to notice their presence his eyes were so glued to the beast surrounding him. "Sire!" he choked out. The rest of the hunting party was pouring in the meadow from behind them, creating an even large circle encompassing them all.

"Sire I have Information!" the man cried desperately. "Sire please-"

The sickly green giant hound on the right of him growled deeply in his throat advancing a step. All the beasts were edgy, eager to pounce on their prize and tear him limb from limb. But William was keeping them on a tight leash, not yet done playing with his victim.

"Ravandale my good man, you should learn when to keep your mouth shot." William admonished jovially. "Or should I say, should have." He let go of the beasts, and they descended on the poor man. "Too late now."

The beasts tore into him. The scream that came out of him did not seem human. Flesh gave way under teeth and claw, and scent of fresh sprouting blood filling the meadow was so strong she could actually taste the metallic tang of it on her lips.

William took a deep breath, exhaling it on a loud exultant growl. "It seems the Ravandale seat has just been vacated." he said to the general assembly. "Brother, perhaps you would care for it? As a wedding gift."

Robin was so rigid it took him a few moments to break free of his forced immobility. "Were not the major Ravandale holdings originally that of the house of Soules?" he asked, clearing his throat harshly. "I think it fitting they should be returned to the rightful heir." he went on. "Frankly, I find it odd you had not taken them back long before this."

"And what fun would that have been brother?" William asked. "They had far too much fun in usurping them." His voice was cold, his eyes flint hard.

"You have been playing with a few generations of Ravandales for the sins of one ancestor." Robin said, heat underling his seemingly unaffected tone.

_Temper Robin. We don't want to show him our hands yet. _Pity they didn't share a psychic link so she could shout at him in situations like this.

After a moment he added, "Perhaps it's time you let the bygones be bygones."

"Did we not have this conversation before Robin? Will you never learn?"

The beasts having reduced Ravandale to a carcass of bloodied bones on the meadow grass, were off on the pursuit of the last three hunted, William in toe.

* * *

She couldn't get the sour taste in her mouth to go down no matter how many times she swallowed. She ran her hands down the pant leg on her hunting breeches trying to dry her sweaty palms as inconspicuously as possible. He didn't give up did he? She didn't know how long it had been since the slaughter of that poor bastard Ravandale. How long had it been since she had seen the light of dawn? Or any light other than that of the moon and the stars? Her stomach churned, her head pounded and her heart wouldn't calm down its manic beating, no matter how many times she ordered it to. Her jumping at every sound and every shadow didn't help matters much either.

She turned to see Robin's worried gaze on her. He looked exhausted to her, despite the fact that he was hiding it behind a veneer of cold alertness. _Please make him stop! _Even if they had a psychic link and she had been able to shout that at him, what good would it do? William was going to drag them to the end of time or until he found his query. Whichever came first.

Robin gave her an almost imperceptible nod and went to stand beside his brother. "Dawn is nearly upon us William. We can-"

"What? Give up the hunt brother?" William asked sharply. "You should know me better than that."

"We can take it up again at dusk. They aren't going anywhere."

"Of course! People don't just disappear from my forest." William turned in his seat, his full attention now focused on his brother.

"Well, most people at any rate. You brother are an expert on that matter are you not?" He asked and leaned forward slightly over the back of the beast he was riding, resting one hand casually over the other.

"Both inside and outside of this forest...We never did find out what became of poor Gisbourne..." He added as though musing to himself.

"Who?" Robin asked, his eyebrows drawn together in a look of puzzlement. He was a good actor. Even she thought he seemed genuinely perplexed. _Yeah right._

"Don't tell me you don't remember Guy! The boy used to follow us everywhere once upon a time." William exclaimed seating up straight. "I sent him to find you not long after your, shall we say, disappearance."

She moved closer to the two of them. She didn't like the way William was fishing for information. Robin had a habit of succumbing to the goading of his family if the altercation with Jack was any indication.

"A shame really about his sister." William said, regret coloring his voice. Consummate actors, the whole bunch of them; she really couldn't tell the real from the fake with this family. "When he didn't return, well, I had made clear the consequences of failure." He said in the most reasonable tone of voice.

"I'm sure that will make a fascinating tale brother." Robin said, his lips curling in a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "But you might want to attend your beasts first."

He had been so focused on provoking Robin that he had been ignoring all the howls and yaps coming from the beasts. He whirled to them and her gaze followed. The beasts were moving jerkily trying to escape the morning rays converging on them from the east. The distant sky looked as if a mad artist had taken a brush to the canvass of the most beautiful indigo blue she had ever seen in her life and splashed red and orange light all over it. No dawn had ever filled her with this much joy and relief in her entire life.

"You might be able to shadow the night around you. But how can the beasts hunt if they can't move further than ten feet from you?" Robin asked William. He never took his eyes away from his brother's face. How had he known the dawn had come?

William gazed at the dawn breaking in the far sky without a flicker of expression passing through his face. The beasts disappeared and Regina came to stand beside Robin. "It seems you are right brother." William said turning to them. "We shall have to continue the hunt later on." he smiled at them both. All around them, tents and pavilions of all shapes, colors and sizes sprang to being.

"In the meantime, let us not keep the ladies from their beauty sleeps."

* * *

"The green one's ours I presume." She asked Robin, eyeing at the green pavilion with the red flag on its top.

"Of course."

Then the royal blue one resting a few paces to the side of theirs would be William's. Oh joy, they would be sleeping a few feet from the king of darkness himself. She gazed longingly at the distant sky bright with morning light. Up above their head, the sky was still the pitch black of the dead of night. Daylight and William really didn't go together it seemed.

Robin held up the flapping entrance for her. "After you." He came in after her, going straight for a pitcher of water laid tastefully on a table with the assortment of other niceties and means of refreshment. He poured it in a bowl and began splashing it unceremoniously on his face. His movements seemed too loud and jarring in the sudden quite that had fallen the minute he let the entrance flap close, completely shutting out the hustle and bustle of the campsite. Her eyes moved restlessly, taking in the pavilion and its artful decorations.

"So," she said, coming to stand behind his hunched back. He ceased his water splashing and look quizzically at her over the towel he had taken to dry his face.

"Erm…" she began again inarticulately, not knowing how to come out and ask him the question burning in her mind.

"Yes." he said reading her unuttered question. "The rules of engagement apply here as well." he poured water in another bowl filled with rose petals, offering it to her with a clean towel. "And any way his control isn't absolute this close to the veil."

She took the bowl from him, putting it aside. "Start talking then." she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I have been talking." he said, his eyebrows drawn in a puzzled frown, his rounded eyes giving her a look of complete innocence.

"Don't play coy with me Robin." She said her frustration escaping her in a growl. "This has gone on long enough."

"What has?" he asked still keeping up his guileless pretense.

"We don't have time for this." her fist descended on the table beside her. "You need to tell me what is going on."

"I don't think you need my help for that." He said turning his back on her and going to the largest table in the pavilion laid out with food. "A hunt is going on." He pushed out a chair for her, indicating she should seat. She gave him a smile that could cut flesh if it were to pass in its vicinity. Seeing she wasn't going to take him up on the offer, he shrugged and went to seat himself on the other chair.

"Would it literally kill you to tell me?"

He ceased layering food into his plate. "No, but it will kill you Regina." He leaned back in his chair, raising his head to look at her looming over him. "You don't understand-"

She felt her fists beginning to shake with her rage. "-Yes I don't! Because you don't let me!"

"You already know too much! Your only chance of getting out is if William thinks you are too ignorant to bother taking you down. Do you think he will ever let you leave if he even as much as suspects you know anything about our past?"

She jerked at the collar of her leather vest trying to open the buckles and straps. She was burning hot inside. But the damn thing refused to comply. "I didn't know we needed his permission get back to our family."

"No one, and I mean no one, can leave this place without it." He said in a heated voice, his eyes burning with intensity. He got up to his feet. "Here let me." He muttered his hand moving to unbuckle the straps of the offending garment.

"You did." She said softly.

He got the last buckle and helped her out of it, throwing it to one side where it promptly vanished before ever touching ground. "Well, that's not exactly true." he was looking at everywhere but at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Suffice it to say, I wasn't exactly planning on leaving." He said, sitting back down heavily on his chair. "Eat, Regina. You haven't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday."

She sat down if only to take away his excuse for changing the subject. "So what? You were just magically transported out of this place without your say so or William's?"

He began heaping her plate with food. "Something like that."

"Now you see why I need to know _everything_."

He looked pointedly at the untouched food in front of her. She rolled her eyes, and took a bite. He went back to his own food. "And how did you reach that conclusion?"

"You are making decisions for both of us, and I can't negate them because I don't have a clue what the hell is going on!"

"You're right about that." He muttered under his breath not looking up.

Her fist made forceful contact with the table again, making the cutlery rattle. "I will physically hurt you." She bit out, her pulse pounding in her ears.

"And then where would you be?" he asked pressing his lips together as if suppressing a smile.

She felt the mad throbbing of the vein in her forehead increase tenfold. "Closer to getting out of here that's for sure."

"Is that so? And how would you achieve that?" He put down the fork and knife in his hands, and leaned forward towards her giving the appearance of sincere interest in her answer.

She was getting hot again. "Stop throwing stones on our path for one,"

"When did I ever do that?" He said with a short disbelieving chuckle.

"When you didn't take Jack's offer to send the men through the veil, whatever or wherever the hell that is! Practically jumped out of my skin whenever the beasts went off on a new trail!"

His hand caught the cup she had sent tumbling down in her anger midair. He poured wine in it and placed it beside her clenched fist on the table. He regarded her calmly. "Going through the veil wouldn't solve anything. Just add to our problems."

"Oh come on! Your _nain_ and _taid_ couldn't be that bad." she said borrowing Jack's term. "You're their grandson after all."

His fist clenched over the loaf of bread he had picked up, turning it into a shower of crumbs. "Me being their grandson is not a good thing, trust me."

"Why? Why should I trust you?"

"Do you have any other choice?" He said, not raising his gaze from the table.

"I guess not." She could feel blood leaving her face, her hands turning icy cold.

Her tone made him look up, a pained expression on his face. "Regina, in this place, nothing is what it seems." he ran a hand tiredly over his face, closing his eyes for a moment before locking eyes with her again. "I will get you out. I swear it to you."

"Get _me_ out?" She asked her surprise showing in her voice.

"I have unfinished business here." He said simply. At her incredulous stare he went on more forcefully, "That has nothing to do with you."

She was reminded of the day William had caught them in the forest. Was it really only two nights ago? It seemed so much longer. But what Robin had said to him... "You actually were planning to go back to him once you sent me off didn't you?" She asked with dawning realization.

He sighed, pushing his plate aside. "They say you can never outrun your past, that it will catch up to you eventually." His eyes were pinched, dark memories intruding on his present. "I'm tired of running. Of hiding. Of trying to make up for sins I can never atone for, even if I save the whole of humanity."

"You don't have to save anyone Robin but yourself. Not me and certainly not _humanity_." She couldn't help the contemptuous tinge to her voice. She didn't suffer idealistic fools lightly.

"Really, when all you have been trying to do is save the heart of a girl you have just met from breaking?"

The soft irony in his voice made her jump up from her seat, hands coming to slap the table on either side of her plate. She leaned menacingly towards him, her voice a harsh rasp in her anger, "Don't ever think I would jeopardize the chances of us getting out, getting back to our family for anything. Or anyone."

"But this is my family Regina. This is my home." he was unflinching in the face of her fury. "No matter how much I hate it, I can never escape it."

She dropped back into her chair. This was ridiculous. She couldn't believe her own ears. "What about Roland? What about your real family?"

"I have been so lucky. More than I deserve." He croaked gaze unfocused. He shook his head, his voice and eyes turning intense again, "But I never said I wasn't going back to them. Only that I need to finish what I started centuries ago."

"Which is what?"

"I'm sure you can guess."

"No, let me guess the outcome." Her breath left her on a forceful exhale, making her nostrils flare. "You lost. Your brother became more powerful than he was before. More sadistic." His eyes dropped down, his face losing all color at her words. She was too angry to care about the pain she was inflicting. "Doesn't that sum it up nicely for you?" She wouldn't let him be killed. She had to make him see reason. "And that is exactly what is going to happen again."

He was still and silent as a statue, staring fixedly at a wine stain in the linen table cloth. The pounding in her ears ceased, leaving in its place a dull ache in the pit of her stomach. "We need to leave, the very first chance we get. To hell with your brother and this miserable place."

"I remember playing in this very forest when I was just a child." He said, a faraway look in his eyes. "Everything was so much more beautiful, so much more vivid and alive." He turned to her, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Maybe they are only a child's wishful memories of a better time" he shrugged the smile turning into a regretful purse of the lips.

"I have a duty to this land and its people," the regret in his eyes and voice gave way to determination. "just as much as I do to my merry men and my son."

"So you are just going to sacrifice one for the sake of the other?" He couldn't be this person. He couldn't leave his son to become an orphan. "I'm not letting you do that."

"I thought you said nothing was going to get in the way of you getting back to your son."

"No, I said nothing is going to keep _us_ from getting back to our families." And she meant it.

He regarded her, a curious expression on his face. "Are you ever going to tell me why you are so concerned with my well-being?" He asked, not really seeming to expect an answer.

"Of course dear." She said, turning her charm fully on him. Her smile slipped, eyes narrowing and voice rising, "As soon as you tell me about you, this damn place and what the hell happened in it."

"Regina-"

"-Don't Regina me!" She shouted, completely fed up with him. "You don't tell me anything! I have to practically force you to accept the help of the one person seemingly capable of offering it, and then drag your ass at every step. Because I can't tell up from down in this place I have to go along with you don't I? Can't even plan a way out because I don't know the first thing about what really goes on here!"

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

The soothing tone of his voice only served to cloud her vision further. "Oh really? Do tell."

"Well, I don't actually have it yet, but I'm working on it."

"You're working on it." She clenched and unclenched her fists on her lap, trying to keep her voice even. "And how long is that going to take?"

"No time at all." He gave her a tight smile. "I will tell you first thing tonight."

"Tonight." She repeated, her eyebrows shooting up. "Why am I not sleeping the day away like a baby throwing all my worries to the wind when you are going to come up with the most ingenious plan in just a few short hours?"

"Yes exactly what I've been saying." He answered seriously, letting her sarcasm just roll off him. "Why don't you do that?"

"I suppose at least one of us should." She said, pushing the chair back with a satisfying screech of protest. "You certainly aren't going to get any sleep."

* * *

The sensation of watching eyes brought her out of her restless sleep. She opened her eyes to find Robin, lying on his side on the bed beside her, his head raised on one elbow, gazing down at her.

"That's creepy you know." She murmured. It wasn't really, but he didn't need to know that.

"I...I'm truly sorry." he said clearly flustered. He turned hastily, presenting her back to her. "It's just that-"

"-Couldn't sleep?"

The tense line of his spine eased a little. "Yes."

"Will you let me help?"

He turned on his back slowly, gazing resolutely up above.

"I guess talking to get them off your chest is out of the question." she half joked, trying to ease the tension in the air.

"Whoever said talking about nightmares would make them less threatening?"

"You'd be surprised at the consensus on that." she said. "I've heard it actually works. Not that you would be willing to give it a try."

"I won't put any more people at risk. Even for the sake of my own sanity."

"Robin…" she said softly seating up in bed, putting her face in his line of sight so he wouldn't be able to avoid her gaze. "Let's get one thing straight." there was no threat, no bite in her voice. She just wanted him to really understand this one thing, if nothing else. "I have never asked for your protection, and I never will. I can take care of myself."

"I've never doubted that Regina."

"Really? Then what is with all this nonsense of keeping me in the dark for my own good? This idiotic notion of trying to save people when they clearly didn't ask for it!"

"Sounding like a hypocrite aren't we?" he said, eyes twinkling in the low light. "Since we met, you have done nothing but try to save not just me, on more than one occasion I might add, but complete strangers as well."

She opened her mouth to retort back but was stopped by his next words, "I never thanked you for that." her mouth opened to deliver a retort to his previous remark, closed silently.

"Is that a thank you?"

"No." he said. "This is. Thank you. I know you truly did mean well." His lips twisted in a crooked smile, "Even if it just made everything a hundred times worst."

"Well I wouldn't be so sure about a hundred times...ten maybe?"

"We can discuss that after we get back and see what the situation back home actually is" he extended his hand to her. "In the meantime, I could really use another day of sleepin' like a babe."

She felt her lips twist in a smile of their own. She took his warm hand in both of hers. "I'm not exactly sure if it will work. Last time it was quite accidental."

"It will work. You are after all Regina-"

"-Mills" she supplied seeing him floundering for her last name.

"Regina Mills, the infamous and most powerful evil queen. You won't let something as trivial as a bit of uncooperative magic get on your way."

"Certainly not!" she said arching her eyebrows in a look of extreme haughtiness.

"Then I know I'm in good hands."

She stared down at his hand in both of her own, running her thumb over a calloused spot on his palm. Silvery webbed scars and callouses covered its entire surface, each containing a story of their own. She began running her fingers ponderously over each and every one of them, trying to coax out their tale and glean a speck of information about their origin and maybe the man bearing them. But they were as silent and enigmatic as their owner. She looked up to see his face slack and peaceful, deep in slumber.

She slowly returned the hand to his side and carefully got out of bed. She stood there gazing at him. "I'm sorry Robin." she murmured softly. "But this has gone on long enough." she gently covered his body, her hands lingering a moment too long on the blanket already warming with the heat coming off his body.

She just hoped the sleeping spell would hold long enough for her to do what she needed to.

* * *

AN:

Hey guys! I know it has been quite some time since my last update, but I really need to get back to studying for an upcoming exam, so I'm afraid I won't be able to post as fast as before. Believe me; no one wants this story done sooner than I do! _I have seen things…_These two are haunting my every moment of waking and dreaming and will not let me be till I shine light on their story and set it free. Set me free really from the visions plaguing me of their fortune and misfortune.

I'm very excited for the next chapter; I've been waiting a while to be able to finally write it. I really hope I can have it soon but we'll see. Thank you all for reading!


	12. Once Upon a Time

The loud whinny made her head snap sharply to the right. The idiot servant had no notion of how to properly treat a horse. She shook her head, turning back to where William stood with Adelina's hand imprisoned in both of his own. The servants were giving them a wide berth, going out of their way weaving through the various tents and pavilions. Some had arms laden with food trays, fire logs and other items, others leading exhausted animals to a place where they at least could get some peace and quiet.

She let the entrance flap close. There was no way she could get out unnoticed even in the pandemonium going on out there. She retreated into the quiet of the pavilion, pacing restlessly. Robin was still fast asleep, but she didn't know how long that would last. She needed someone that could help her get out, someone who knew the lay of the land. Yes! He had said she was her personal maid; she could get out in the pretense of looking for her. She turned around purposefully for the entrance, but the figure standing there silently drew her up short. What the...?

The figure curtsied looking at her expectantly. Regina just stood there gaping at her. "Are you like the castle too?" She managed finally. The girl tilted her head slightly in response, as if puzzled by her question. Regina cleared her throat. "I mean I have to think of you and you appear?" the girl nodded. "Oh. Yes. Um, well…" how did she begin?

Anna's head turned to the bed where Robin lay peacefully at rest. She ran to his side, her hands going to the pulse at his throat, ear bent to his lips to check for breath. "Relax! He's not dead!" _Over reaction much? _The girl whirled on her, accusation in her every move. "It's just a sleeping spell!" How bad was his insomnia that the sight of his slumbering form sent her into such a panic? "It will wear off soon." the accusatory vibe from the girl didn't lessen. Regina felt her spine crack, her back straightening at the girl's demeanor. "He asked for it!" She added defensively.

The girl smoothed the blanket over his body. Regina had a sudden urge to snatch that hand away; the blanket didn't need any smoothing. The girl squared her shoulders and turned to her, seemingly expecting something from her. Yes, the reason for her summons.

That would be difficult to explain. "First I have to ask," she said, folding her arms in front of her. "can William hear and see whatever you do?" her voice was hesitant, but she didn't know how else to come out and ask it. The girl stared at her with her sightless eyes for a beat, and shook her head slowly in negation. "Are you sure?"

The head tilted back in apparent affront, her eyebrows going up a notch. "Alright, I had to ask." Regina went to seat on a nearby chair, and indicated the girl should seat herself in the other. "You hate William right?"

Anna didn't answer. "You can't possibly feel any other emotion." She said, taken aback by her lack of response. "You wanted him to cut out your eyes and tongue?" Again no reaction. Maybe she shouldn't speak so lightly of the trauma the girl had suffered. "Do you want to help him?" the girl turned her head away. "Help him torture more people? Do-" the girl interrupted her tirade by giving a definitive shake of the head. What was the deal with these people? "So what?" The answer to that seemed to be far more complicated for Anna to convey without any words, though Regina was sure the inability to talk didn't play that big a role in the girl's openness or lack thereof.

Well the past was the past, none of her business. She just needed a way out. "Will you help me?" Anna's gaze was fixed on Robin, Regina wasn't sure if she had even heard her. "He really blames himself you know." Her visage might be inhuman, but the emotions showing in them were anything but. "For—" she trailed of, her hands indicating the ravaged face. Anna didn't turn to look at her, only having eyes for Robin. "Was it his fault?" The girl sighed and shook her head again. He certainly thought it was. "You care for him, don't you?"

The girl's sewn lips stretched in a grimace that might have been the best they could offer in place of a smile. "I want to help him. " she stood up, moving to the bed, gazing down at his face, so calm and peaceful, his closed eyes hiding the ever present twinkle of mischief even buried as it was under the avalanche of sorrow this place put in them. "I need to help him." and it was true. Maybe it was because of the pixie dust, maybe because of the way his lips quirked at the corners even when he was trying his hardest not to smile, and she didn't want him to ever lose that.

She turned to the girl. "But he won't let me. You know how stubborn he is. Won't let me in. Thinks he can beat William on his own, but I know he can't." Anna was focused intently on her face. She couldn't do a better job of pRobing into her soul even If she had eyes; Regina let her see all her emotion plainly on her face, not wanting to hide anything from her.

The girl nodded once and settling back into her seat, folded her arms in her lap, looking at her in that expectant way she had. "I need to get out of the camp without either William or anyone else finding out." The girl's eyebrows drew together, stretching the stitches in a revolting way. "You'll just have to get me out. I'll handle it from there."

She leaned forward in her seat, her hands going to stroke the surface of the table, deep in contemplation. Regina regarded her, trying to keep herself still and wait her out. Her hands went to rest on the girl's moving one, stilling it, silently asking for her to look her in the eyes and give her an answer. Hopefully the right answer. Instead of her head rising, the hand under Regina's began to move. With a start she realized it wasn't just random stroking, that she was writing something. She tilted her head, trying to get a better look at what she was trying to say. Her hand moved slowly, spelling out a name for her.

"Yes." she answered simply. "I know he won't like it, but what other choice do I have?" The girl gave her a look that Regina thought was meant to be skeptical. She was starting to understand why they called eyes the windows to the soul.

She ran her hands jerkily through her hair. "He won't tell me anything, and you can't, even if you wanted to." she let out her frustration in a long sigh, trying to loosen the tightness in her chest, and let her hands drop to hang limply by her sides. "He has a son Anna. A four year old boy." she could feel the bite of her nails pressing into her palms. It was all she could do to keep them from shaking. "I won't let him lose all he has for this wretched land and that vile brother of his!"

The girl had turned in her chair to look up at her, one hand draped over the back, fingers of both clasped together, regarding her the way a queen would one of her subjects. If it was any other time or any other place, Regina would take offence at that, but here and now, this girl was her only hope. And considering what she had went through, she thought she could find it in herself to let this one go.

Apparently satisfied with what she saw in her face, Anna's fingers went to the straps of the bonnet concealing her hair and opened them. The shock of bright auburn hair that spilled out of it made Regina momentarily forget the situation at hand. The beautiful silky tresses framing the grey tinged face with its horrible mutilations made the whole tableau seem that much more jarring and grotesque.

The girl extended the hand holding the bonnet to her. Regina looked at it uncomprehendingly. The girl shook it insistently in front of her, and Regina's hand went to accept it still not understanding. The girl jumped up from the chair, and proceeded to take off her clothes.

Seeing her standing motionless with her mouth hanging open and the bonnet dangling from fingers of one hand, Anna threw the garment she had taken off at her. Regina caught it automatically, and stood there gaping at both her and it. The dress had patches of dead grey skin clinging to the inside of it, and the odor coming of it made bile rise in her throat.

Anna stood there, naked but for her undergarments, glaring at her with fists planted on her waist. What did she expect her to do? The girl threw her hands up in disgust. "What are your clothes going to do for me?" The girl was clearly addled. What had she expected? Leaving centuries under William's cruelty would make anyone insane.

Anna's hand came to grip her elbows, her hideous face staring into Regina's. Very deliberately, she took away her hands, pointing them first forward at her, then at Robin's sleeping form. She waited a beat before slapping her palms lightly on Regina's chest, then pointing back to herself. "Magic!" the girl wanted her to use magic to make herself look like her. It was foolish but she was inordinately pleased with herself for figuring it out. By the forceful exhale the girl gave in response she didn't thought it much of an achievement. "I'm not sure I can do it..." in response she went behind Regina beginning to open the straps of her gown. She was right; she needed to get over her whining.

Dressed in the girl's coarse and chafing dress, she went to the ornate mirror in one corner, Anna coming to stand beside her. Regina looked in the mirror, contemplating their different body built and height. She forced her eyes to the girl's nauseating face framed by her beautiful auburn locks. What could have possibly been there in the place of the terrible cruelty of now? Had she been beautiful? Under her gaze the rotting grey tinged skin slowly gained the healthy glow of Regina's, the crude stitches disappearing leaving warm eyes rounded in shock and a rosy mouth hanging open in wonder and surprise. Regina looked at herself, not in the mirror, but staring back at her from Anna's face. It wasn't really like peering into the mirror; there was such pained innocence in those eyes, such marveling honesty in the slackness of the mouth that Regina, jaded as she was, had long since lost the ability to express with her own features.

Anna stared at herself in the mirror with Regina's face, lost in the image. Regina's hand went to touch her own face, expecting to find scared rotting flesh giving way under her fingertips, but her hands found normal skin with everything where it was supposed to be.

The girl touched her face, the tentative light that had come into her eyes dying away. She jerked her head away from the mirror and turned to Regina. She motioned with her hand for her to start moving. _This is soo not going to hold up to anyone's scrutiny._ "Pretend you are asleep so when Robin wakes up he won't get suspicious, ok?" the girl rolled her eyes pressing her lips together in annoyance, and motioned for her to leave again. "Alright, alright I'm going." Regina paused at the entrance turning back to see Anna standing over Robin, in her face, well Regina's own face, an expression so full of pain and regret and affection that Regina felt like a voyeur peeking into the soul of another without having any right to.

* * *

It had been odd, passing through people without them even sparing a glance in her direction. As Regina The Evil Queen, she had taken the spotlight for granted; disguised as the mutilated Anna, she would have thought the deformity would garner more attention, but neither the servants nor the occasional noble had even as much as looked at her, almost suspicious in their lack of interest. The only eyes weighing down on her had been William's; even as he was deep in conversation with the trapped Adelina his eyes had followed her every movement until she had thankfully got out of his sight.

Well, the camp and the oppressive shadowy darkness were far behind her now. The rays of sun caressed her face, their warmth sinking down into her soul, filling her with hope, the kind of hope that was perhaps too childishly optimistic in its naïveté, gaining its strength by the uplifting songs of the birds and the life sounds of the forest all around her, but welcome nevertheless.

She had a sudden wish that Anna could be here, the real one, basking in the warm sun, its light banishing the darkness of William's cruelty, if not away from her face than at least from her mind for a few precious moments.

"Ah cariad, you are placin' far too much power on the poor sun you are! It has enough on its plate as it is!" she whirled around looking at the tree tops trying to find Jack. "I'm not as predictable as all that my girl."

This time the voice had come from right in front of her, she looked over to see jack sprawled languidly on a blanket, head turned up to the sky, eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the sun. "It's hard for the poor girl it is, fighting the shadows William imposes on everythin'."

"Who? The sun?"

"Her too. But it was poor bach Anna I was talkin' about." He opened one blue green eye, peering at her through it. She suddenly found herself seated beside him on the blanket, a spread of the most sumptuous feast laid between the two of them.

"Grape?" he asked, taking a bite from the one dangling above his upturned mouth. They shone with the brilliance of rubies in the sunlight, like shimmering drops of red crystalline blood. Everything around her was too sparkly, too vivid, nothing like the forest of moments ago; as beautiful as that had been, this one looked otherworldly in its magnificent glory.

She had never seen trees so majestic or sky so clear and so near that she felt she needed only to extend her hands to catch a fistful of the playful clouds in them. She fisted her hands in the fabric of the blanket underneath instead, ordering her heart to pump blood back into her cold face. "What did you do?"

"Nothin'! Just sittin' here enjoying some fresh air I am. "

"Where are we?" she shouldn't have come. Robin was going to have a field day with this. If she ever got back to him that was.

"In the Borderlands my girl." he said his tone becoming serious. "They used to call this part of it Heliamara," a wistful smile played on his lips as he said the name, "the land of the eternal sun," regret lay buried in his eyes, in his voice. "back when it wasn't all under William's thumb that is."

"We are not in the same forest as before." her heart had been too accommodating; the manic beat in her throat and temple were so loud she had trouble hearing herself think. "Where are we?"

"It's not the where you should be worried about...it's the when."

"It's the what?"

He closed his eyes, resting his head on his clasped hands on the blanket. "We're in another when. Before Cáel's folly. Before Rhioannon's madness."

"What are you talking about?"

"That is why you came to me isn't it?" he rose up on his elbows, his tone becoming insolent again, eyes changing from indigo blue to the green of the trees all around. "Findin' out about Robin's past. Sticking your little nose into things that aren't really your concern."

"They are my concern. They became my concern when I was stuck squarely in the middle of them!"

"So what is it you be wantin' to know then?"

"Everything!" laughter danced in his eyes turning them greener still. "Anything!"

"There is a reason Robin doesn't want you to know my girl. Maybe you should heed the lad. He might not know about the whole business with the pixie dust, but soul mate or not, he's a good lad at heart he is. He doesn't want anythin' to happen to you."

She tried to calm her rapid breathing, clasping her hands together tightly in her lap. "How the hell do you know about all that?"

"I'm curious I am, where do you think that pixie dust of yours comes from any road?"

What does that have to do with anything? "The flower..."

"Yes but that flower, it wasn't always in your land, or in the other ones for that matter." he sat up, spinning around to face her crossing his legs under him. "You see, I had this idiot cousin, black sheep of the family he was, got it in his head to wonder the realms. Created the veil and everythin' to get out of our land." He moved his hands animatedly as he spoke, behaving like an eager youth wanting to get an exciting tale off his chest. "But he found many of the new lands lackin', so the ones he took a fancy to, he gifted with the weepin' flowers...My mam, the mighty queen that she is, was so spittin' mad she banished him from Heim for ever and ever. Shortsighted if you ask me. Made him just wonder some more, infectin' more lands with the bloody things..."

"As fascinating as that might be," which it actually was, "I don't have time for a history lesson." or whatever the hell that was.

"I'm just tellin' you that, so you know a little tiny bit better what and who you're dealin' with."

"Yes so very enlightening. Now tell me something that is actually useful" though she didn't know why she bothered. She couldn't trust a word out of his mouth any way.

"True. Why should you be takin' my word for it?" _Shit shit shit_. He was reading her mind!

"Don't go havin' a heart attack bach. I can't read your mind! Well I can, but I won't. Cheatin' that is..."

She had had enough. "What is your deal with games? All of you!" she exploded.

"They're just these tidy little tools they are."

"Oh really?" she tilted her head, her eyebrows rising. "What use are they exactly?"

"Who do you think won the wager that stuck the first 'dark one' with his dagger? Actually it was a she that first time...but you get my meanin'." Her head was spinning, her thoughts losing any coherence as they all rushed over eachother. "Here." he said, holding a wine glass out to her. "You do seem a little out of sorts." She knocked it aside. It disappeared midway to the ground along with its spilled wine. "Games are useful when dealin' with devils." he settled back into the blanket, lying back with one foot resting on the other knee, playing with a peach in his hands. "Problem is, some are good at playin' back. No surprise really, little Will is cut from the same cloth as the rest of us he is. More like his mother than he reckons."

"What exactly is his game? Other than terrorizing to death everyone in his vicinity..."

"To tell you that I would need to go back to the very beginin'"

"Start whenever you want. I have time."

He chuckled, giving her a sly look. "Do you now? Robin's not goin' to be asleep forever..."

She felt the blood turning to ice in her veins."How the hell is it that you know everything?"

"I listen I do. The ground the trees the sky the birds...they just want to be heard"

She let out her held breath in a sigh of relief. "You have spies everywhere." She stated flatly. Well his magic trick didn't seem all that magical now.

"Harsh you are my lady...this land loves stories and it's been very lonely since the Soules stopped listenin' and talkin' to it."

"Soules." she had heard that name before. "That's Robin and William right?"

"The rulin' family of Heliamara for a thousand years."

"So what happened?"

"I could tell you..." go on, don't say but, "But, what fun would that be?"

"I don't want fun you—"

"—hold your horses my girl...I'm goin' to do somethin' even better." he laughed and sitting up in the blanket threw the peach at her. Her hand went up to catch it on its own accord. It was made of pure gold, and so light she'd have thought it a mirage except for the soft warmth that was radiating from it. She tore her gaze away, finding herself standing in an area surrounded by unkempt greenery, to her side an ancient crumbling building so overgrown with moss and shrouded by vine it was hard to tell what color or shape it had once been in.

"You will find the answers you seek," he said from behind her. "at the end of the windin' path. "

The golden peach in her hand dissolved, seeming to sink into her palm, its heat rushing up her veins. In place of the wrecked grey tinged stones of the ruins of before, there stood in front of her a beacon of breathtaking glory. The rays of sun reflected in the pure white of the edifice in front of her gave it a shimmering appearance, as if it shone with a light from within, so beautiful that it put a soft smile on her lips and drew her forward.

* * *

The painted murals on the walls under her hands felt strangely alive. She kept expecting her hand to touch soft petals or be bloodied by sharp thorns. The golden light of the sun coming through the towers hundred windows, reflecting off the glowing white walls and the vivid paint adorning them, gave the place such a glow of welcome that she had lost track of time, not knowing for how long she had been climbing the stairs, lost in the serene beauty of her surroundings, the purpose of her visit sunk somewhere deep in the back of her mind.

Coming into another landing that led into a very large chamber, the first thing that got her attention was a soft sweet humming. In one corner of the room, a small golden head was bent over, chubby fingers holding a brush way too big for the small hand, stroking it purposefully over the parchment in front of him, the young artist lost in his drawing gently humming to himself. She got closer, moving very slowly as to not scare away the little boy. "What do you have there?" she asked him, coming to seat beside the boy on the ground. The humming had stopped, the tiny tongue picking from between his lips, blue eyes intent in a look of extreme concentration, the painting seemingly having reached a tricky part for the young boy.

The child, no more than three or four, having drawn the last stroke of his masterpiece gave a squeal of delight and jumped up from the floor. "Mama mama!" he ran the parchment held proudly before him to the far window, where a woman with hair of the spun gold that Regina hadn't noticed upon entering sat, gazing forlornly at the view outside.

She turned at the sound of her son's gleeful cry, the despairing shadows on her face giving way to love shining through her features, the turmoil grey of her eyes changing into warm gold. "Love, it is beautiful!" her voice was melodious, her normal speech carrying with it the sound of music. She extended hands weighed down by silver chains to take the offered gift, their sound jarring the sanctity of the enchanted haven, casting the white and the green and the rosy petals of the murals on the walls in the dark light of dread.

The painting the woman held in her hands was a child's drawing of the sea, simple and striking in its honesty, something the artificial pond below could never offer despite all its pretentious aspirations.

"Papa took us there! Me Will and guy!"

The woman was lost in her admiration of the drawing, not noticing the little hands that ran, not just curiously, but with a solemnity and an understanding that seemed impossible coming from the tiny human being. "They hurt mama?"

"What dear?"

"Why wear them?" he gave them a small yank, showing his dislike.

"They are my silver chains of love." she ran a hand caressingly over the boy's shining hair. "They are the gift of your father, so we would never be apart."

"But mama" the boy said, fingering the chains, "I want you to come see the sea!"

"Oh my love but I can't take them off."

"Why not?" the boy asked pouting adorably. "You don't want to come play with me."

"Of course I do my curious little adventurer! Of course I do my love."

She drew the boy into her lap, sitting with him facing the window. "I would love to run with you in the meadows of the most emerald green, the sun shining down on all around us…we would sing with the birds, and run with all the fury kind, large and small. I would take you to seas more beautiful than dreams, and we would get lost in the embrace of waters so warm, oceans so deep, filled with the life of a thousand lands."

The boy had turned in her lap to gaze up at her, adoration in his eyes, perhaps not really understanding what she said, but mesmerized by the her airy voice and her face filling with the fleeting joys of a remembered past.

The little hands closed around the chains, tugging at them with all the determined might his tiny sized allowed. "You should go mama. You should—" the boy jumped down from her lap, heaving with all the strength of his small form and his big heart,

"— No!" the cry coming from the direction of the stairs, was too late; the chains gave way with a horrendous sound under the efforts of the little boy. A slender figure ran past her to the two, a young boy of perhaps nine or ten, encircling his arms over the child, and drawing him behind, all the while gazing with fear and trepidation at the motionless woman, holding the exact same position she had been in when the chains broke.

The older boy began to retreat slowly, still shielding the younger child with his body. The woman's head rose slowly, revealing eyes that had become the color of the blackest storm, filled with hate and rage, madness glinting through.

"No, mother please," the boy pleaded.

If it were possible the eyes turned darker still, the lips twisting savagely in a parody of a smile, her hands rose, gathering darkness around her, the brilliant light of day clouding over with her summoned shadows.

"Robin, run!" he shouted, pushing the small child away, turning to stop the brunt of the spell with his small body, not letting it touch the younger boy. "William!" little Robin cried, frightened out of his mind, tears streaming down his face. William screamed in agony, his body picked up by the force of the raging storm, writhing in unimaginable pain, dangling helplessly up in the air. "Mama mama no mama please..." Robin cried running to his brother, small hands latching onto William's foot wanting to get him down, but the instant his fingers closed around his brother's ankle the force surrounding him sent the small body flying through the air, impacting with a sickening thud to the far wall, leaving the bloody imprint of pain on the wall beside the reds of its painted roses. Regina heard herself scream incoherently, impotently, as powerless as the two children.

"No!" the gut wrenching cry had come from the struggling William. "Leave him be!" his voice was so raspy and raw from anguish it was almost none existent. The woman tightened her outstretched fist, and his voice became an inhuman scream of mindless agony. "Stop, stop!" Regina screamed over and over at her. "They are your children! Please!" her voice broke. She knew the woman couldn't hear her. In the back of her mind she knew this wasn't actually happening, that it all had happened long ago in a faraway past, but she couldn't stop herself.

The mad woman advanced on the whimpering body of Robin, her hand rising up, ready to close on a fist, reigning down unspeakable torment on her child.

"**Stop**!"

It took her a moment to realize that the shout hadn't come from her own raw throat, but from a man standing behind her.

"Rhioannon stop!" the voice begged. "It's me you want. Leave them be. Leave them be love. They are your children. Our children."

"I am not your love." she hissed, eyes so far gone into the depths of insanity and rage there was no shred of humanity left in them. "And these are not my children!" the force of her mad shriek shook the foundation of the tower, making it shudder in pain. All around mortar and plaster started to rain down on them, like a merciless snow falling down on the greens of spring, killing all hope with its deadly embrace.

The man flung his hands in front of him, casting a spell with all his might. The silver chains discarded on the floor beside the window seat sprang to life, winding their way through the air like serpents of light. Rhioannon whirled around letting out a roar of fury "Never again!" her bellow pushed at Regina's eardrums with so much force she half expected them to rupture. "Never!"

The shadowy storm gathered herself around her, a tornado of black fury and rage, winding itself tighter and tighter, until at last with a deafening explosion of sound it vanished all together, depositing a still trashing William onto the floor.

The father was also sprawled on the floor, blood dripping from his nose, his ears and the corners of his eyes, the white dust settling into his dark hair and beard giving him the appearance of an old man. He crawled towards William lying unmoving on his back, face frozen in a mask of excruciating pain. Robin stumbled towards them through the falling debris, his small body shaking in wrecking sobs. The man gathered him in his arms, gathered both of his sons in his arms, rocking them all gently, weeping along with his younger child, all the while murmuring brokenly, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry"

Regina staggered away from them, running blindly down the stairs, her mind reeling, her body shaking, with what she did not know.

Coming into a landing she staggered to the wall, a hand holding tight her middle, trying desperately to make sense of what she had seen. She could not comprehend how a mother could do that to her own children.

A rustling sound to the left drew her head to its direction. Two figures stood in front of the far wall, one small and one large, each with paint brushes in hand, focused on a drawing of their own.

"No!" cried the young child. "What's the matter Robin?"

He was younger here; maybe even a year or so. The tiny finger pointed to the portion of the wall where the elegant winding roses gave way to a mismatch of blue and red and green. "It's quite striking." the man said laughing.

"no." Robin repeated churlishly and threw the blue paint in his hand at it, smearing it even more.

"what a good idea." his father said, pushing his hand into the blue paint and throwing it at the perfectly drawn mural he had just finished working on. "hmmm. Much prettier."

Robin laughed, a sweet innocent sound that wrenched at the strings of her heart, overlaid with the sound of his adult laugh in her mind. He took out more blue paint and threw it at the wall, imitating his father. Laughing and squealing, they proceeded to empty the rest of the blue paint all over the wall, the floor and themselves. When they had done all the damage they possibly could, the man swung a chortling Robin in his arms, breathless with laughter himself. "Your beard" Robin said, touching it with his tiny hands. "It's blue." he said and giggled happily.

"Is it?" his father asked. "Then from this day on I shall be known to all the lands as the Blue bearded king!" he proclaimed.

"That's silly!" little Robin said, the bright smile never leaving his face.

"Ah what have you done now!" came an annoyed voice from the stairs leading up above.

"William my boy! Come and settle this matter immediately! Your brother has slighted the mighty blue beard king!"

"Father! You were supposed to be done with the fifth floor by now!" he admonished, walking stiffly towards them, eyes narrowed and hands clasped behind a ramrod straight back. "At this rate you will never get the tower done! You should have let the workmen do it if you are only going to play around!" the boy chided his father, acting for all the word like he was the responsible adult here and not the other way around.

"William's no fun is he Robin?" The father asked the little boy in his arms,who promptly shook his head in answer. "We shall remedy that." he said, flinging his hand at William's direction. Green paint splashed over him, coloring his whole face. Irate blue eyes glared at the man. "oh oh!" Robin said and laughed. "War!" William yelled, running towards the two of them. Robin having wormed his way down his father arms ran towards the paints, William and his father diving in fast behind him.

Over the gleeful sounds and motions of their staged battle, her eyes fell on a motionless figure standing on the stairs below. Robin's face was expressionless, but his eyes could not mask the depth of pain hiding behind the steely facade. The light and the colorful beauty of the white tower around her gave way to the dead and grey shadows of the crumbling ruins she had first seen. Robin slowly began moving towards her, his foot leaving shallow imprints on the soot stained floor. He went to the spot where he and his father had stood moments before, hands going to the wall to uncover behind the layers of dust covering it an explosion of paint, the colors so faded as to be almost indistinguishable.

"You're" she heard herself say, her throat too dry to continue. She swallowed, tasting the salt of her tears on her lips, feeling their tracks drying on her face. He stood up slowly, hand still on the wall. "You're the Bluebeard's son."


	13. Of Light and Darkness

Of all the things she could have said! His answer was only a cold silence. He started for the stairs without turning to look at her, practically running in his haste to get away from her. _Way to go Regina. The poor man comes into the most nightmarish place of his childhood and what is the first thing you say? _

She ran after him, catching up with him as they came out into the sunlit garden. "Robin—"

"Yes!" he whirled on her, face white, eyes wild and his breath ragged. "Yes. Are you happy now?"

Her heart constricted at the amount of pain showing through all his anger. "I'm sorry—"

"For what? You just wanted to know." He said, his tilted head, arched eyebrows and mocking tone hiding hurt behind sarcasm. "The fact that it isn't any of your business doesn't come to play in it does it?"

"I'm sorry for what happened to you." She said, unperturbed by his display of ire. She could understand. "I'm sorry that I went behind your back. But I had no choice."

Instead of damping the fire in his eyes, her words made the flames practically leap out at her. "No choice?" he spluttered in rage.

"Our only chance of getting out of here is if we work together." _Calm, deep breaths Regina._

"I told you I'll get you out!"

Her control over her temper snapped along with the fallen branch she'd stepped on to yell in his face, "And I told you I'm not going without you!" she shouted, poking him in the chest.

He was speechless for a moment, just staring at her. He rubbed a hand over his face and went towards the pond.

He sat on the ledge, without turning to look at her. "How is knowing about any of this going to help you with that? " his posture was stooped, his voice too tired to put much heat under the query.

She came to stand in front of him, looking down at his bent head. "I have to know my enemy before I can have a hope of defeating him."

He snorted. "Enemy?" his eyes snapped to hers. "You are so focused on William when this is all my fault! All of this bloody nightmare!"

"What are you talking about?" puzzling this family out was going to leave permanent wrinkles in her brow. Did he mean the chains he had broken? "You were a child! None of it is your fault!"

His face closed off. "I hear you are famous for holding grudges against children."

She almost took an involuntary step back. "Snow was different."

He got up to his feet, the distance between them narrowing to almost nothing. "How? How exactly is that any different?" The heat in his voice was scorching, the cold fire in his eyes cutting bone.

Her chest was heaving. She had to control her breathing. Make her fist unfurl. "She got Daniel killed." had she just told him that? Her voice was so raspy and low even she had trouble hearing it.

He stepped back, turning his head away. "I thought your mother killed him." his voice was low, not an accusation, but simply stating a fact. He shook his head wearily, as if to indicate he didn't have the energy to argue anymore. He sat back down on the ledge, his movements heavy and laborious. "And even then, she only got one person killed," a shaking sigh escaped his lips, racking his whole body. "I killed thousands..."he put his head in his hands, pushing against his temples with his fists.

After a moment he looked back up at her. "But unlike you, I'm not in the habit of blaming children for the sins of adults." he had a faraway look, a haunted look, full of self-loathing and bitter regret "That came much later." he sprang up to his feet with a feverish energy, as if desperately trying to get away from memories of the past. "Come." he ordered, moving towards the wild greens. "The fruit of sight is not going to last much longer." He stopped a few paces ahead, as if sensing her fury and unwillingness to comply. "You wanted to know and so you shall." he threw over his shoulder. "You wouldn't be so eager to save me then."

* * *

He was punishing her. That was the only explanation for the torturous track through the crazy jungle that past for an overgrown garden in this place. She pushed away another errant branch that had sprung out of nowhere to slap her in the face. What was wrong with walking on the pond's edge? It was wide enough for careful one foot maneuvering and at least it would have left her poor face unblemished.

She looked over at Robin's stiff back. He hadn't uttered a word since ordering her to follow him; refused to even look at her. What did he think he was going to show her that she hadn't done to some other poor bastard a million times over? _News flash: Evil Queen here!_

She sniffed again. What was that smell? It had been driving her crazy for the last half hour. Was it, fire? She put on a burst of speed, shouldering her way past Robin. The sounds she had been hearing on and off gained clarity just when the smell did; screams and yells of a hundred throats or more, the sound of burning wood and frightened horses, clashing iron, crumbling stone.

She broke free of the tree line, gazing with horror at the castle, flames bellowing out of its windows, men running men down in the courtyard, the sickening sound of a sword being pulled out of the slender body of an errand boy, not much older than Henry, and the gleeful cries of soldiers in their bloodlust freezing her in place.

From the large castle gateway, a group of a dozen men exited, all dressed in the ostentatious opulence of the nobility, dragging between them a chained man with his face battered and gushing blood, thorn clothing stained scarlet, blue eyes rabid and wild, his throat letting out inhuman cries of savage, incoherent fury.

She almost didn't recognize him. But she had seen those eyes, shining with love, desperate in panic, drowning under pain and guilt. She had seen them in his father's face, and she had seen them regarding her with a potent mix of emotions that she only seldom could identify from Robin's face. Even William shared the same eyes.

A muffled cry drew her attention back. Under the cover of the trees stood William with his hand pressing over little Robin's mouth. "Shhh Robin" he whispered in his ear. He turned the child in his arms; pressing the little head to his own throat "Don't look." he was crying silent tears along with his brother. "It's going to be ok. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Promise."

"Papa" Robin cried brokenly.

"Shhh, we have to play the quite game now, you remember the rules." his voice was so low Regina standing inches away could barely hear it.

Robin nodded against his chest. William began to stroke his shaking hand over the child's back, trying to sooth him in whatever way he could, his eyes fixed to the front of the courtyard where judging by the screams the situation had escalated.

She turned to see that a large cauldron had been brought into the middle, the fire logs under it lit on fire, steam rising above its gaping mouth.

"Ravandale, maybe we should—" One of the noblemen began hesitantly.

"What Conomor? Don't tell me you are too cowardly to end what we have started!" the large bear of a man, the corded muscles in his neck bulging, snapped at the one who had spoken, invading the man's personal space to sneer at his face.

"All I'm saying is that maybe this is just taking it a bit too far!" Conomor said his hands indicating the cauldron.

"He's right." another of the group said; a thin weaselly man with with hair cut in a bulb more suitable on a five year old girl than a fully grown man. "What's wrong with a normal beheading?" He asked.

"I will tell you what is wrong." the large man turned viciously on the new speaker. "What's wrong is that no amount of pain will atone for the sins of Bluebeard." he spat the name with so much venom she half expected the fallen king to simultaneously combust under the heat of that much hatred.

"Have you forgotten what he has done?" Ravandale turned, addressing all the men around him "This... this madman we swore allegiance to? Who we called our king?" his voice had risen with each word, turning to a furious roar at the end.

"This is our time to reclaim our rightful place in our kingdom. To gain back what we have lost because of him!" he kicked the chained man on the ground, making him double over.

"Not so mighty now Cáel, are you?" he sneered at the fallen man. "The once mighty king...crazy bluebeard is what you are! Where is your magic now?" he kicked him again and again with each word.

She realized the whizzing sound coming from Cáel was in fact, laughter. Ravandale noticing it as well fisted his hands in Cáel's hair, yanking it up to harshly snarl in his face, "Something amuses you?"

"Oh yes, greatly." Cáel replied through his bloodied lips, giving him a smile of crimson teeth. "You amuse me."

"Let's see if we can damp your merriment." the large man gritted out. He shoved the head into the path of the steam coming off the cauldron. Cáel wheezed, his laughter turning into screams of agony as his face turned blistering red. What was boiling in that cauldron that its steam alone could do that much damage?

Ravandale yanked the head back, his lips twisted in a malicious sneer, a sadistic pleasure glinting in his eyes, "Not so funny now is it?" he asked.

It took a few minutes for Cáel's screams of pain to subside and for him to regain any form of coherence. "This land will never accept you Ravandale. Never!" he spat at him through barely moving lips, his whole face a giant red boil. Ravandale let out a scream of fury, raising Cáel, a six foot tall fit man in the flower of his youth, one handed and throwing him into the cauldron.

Cáel screamed, the sound chilling her down to the bones. Never before in her life had she heard a screech so haunting, so filled with pain; and she had tortured her fair share of people, she should know.

"Gisbourne!" Ravandale yelled. The nervous man standing as far away from the rest as he possibly could, jumped nearly out of his skin at the shout. "Have your brat find the two rats. **Now!**" he went on, baring his teeth in a parody of smile, "they are to join their father." He shouted over Cáel's dying wails, turning to the nobles and the soldiers, rage and blood thirst suffusing his voice, murder raining on all around from his eyes.

She turned to the two boys hiding behind her. The tears had left their dried tracks on William's soot stained and bloodied face. He had one hand covering Robin's ear, pressing his other one into his shoulder, his chin resting on top of the little head, eyes staring unflinchingly as they boiled his father alive in the middle of the courtyard. She watched as bottomless hatred and impotent fury gathered in those eyes, iron will overshadowing them all, firming the young jaw, turning the soft mouth into a grim line of determination.

Her gaze went to the adult Robin, who was standing silent and unmoving a few paces away, leaning against a tree, gazing at the ground.

She cleared her throat. The backdrop of mayhem and pain had stopped, the place regaining the frightened hush it had had the last time she was in it. "I'm not seeing anything that would change my mind." she told him.

"Well, thought you might as well see all of it." he stood straight, going towards the forest path. "There's certainly no stopping you from finding out on your own." he muttered under his breath. At least he was talking. Better than the silent treatment.

"How did you get out that night? Where are we going now?" she shouted to his retreating back. Shockingly, he didn't answer.

* * *

She dismounted Aran, coming to stand beside an already dismounted Robin. He had one elbow leaning against a tree, his fist pressed to his mouth, contemplating the view beyond the forest. By the stand of birch trees all around them, she would guess they were at the very edge of the borderlands, just like they had been three days ago.

"Well, are you going to stand there all day?" she snarked. What were they waiting for? If it had been that easy to get to the border why hadn't they done it much, much sooner? His silence was getting old, real fast. She moved past him, intending to go on to the welcoming clearing beyond the dense forest, but was brought short by an invisible force. She tried again, the shield pushing back harder this time with a painful pinch. "You can hurt yourself playing with things you don't understand." was the acid comment. "It will get worst each time you try it."

"Why can't we get out?" she growled, wanting to punch the shield in her frustration.

"If it were that easy don't you think I would have gotten you out by now?" he said bitingly.

"Why are we here then?"

"I'm giving you a front row seat to the show." she did not care for the acerbic tone one bit. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

The jaunty whistling turned her head back to the clearing, where a teenage boy of perhaps seventeen years of age was skipping merrily, juggling an apple in his hands, eyeing the trees and the forest beyond. Not so far away, she could see tents set up in a campsite, different than the one they had left, sparse and military in appearance.

The boy threw the apple in her direction, making her step back involuntarily, but the apple just bounced off, his hand shooting up to catch it midair.

"If it only were that easy brother." said a newcomer, a young man in his 20s, clad in leather and armor, his bearing regal, affection for the boy shining in his eyes.

The boy gave a snort. "Had higher expectation from apples. Heard they could be quite magical."

"I'm afraid not magical enough for our purposes."

"What the plan then Will? How are we going to remove the curse?"

"We are not going to do anything. You on the other hand..." he trailed off, bringing his hand out of concealment behind his back, presenting a familiar bow and arrow to the wide eyed young Robin.

"Where did you get that?"

"It belonged to our father, and his mother before that, and her father before that, all the way back to the first Queen of Heliamara." Robin took the offered bow, hands shaking with excitement and reverence.

"They might have murdered our father, stripped us of our title and lands, barred us from our home, but they can never, ever deny our birthright. This land, its magic, it runs in our veins. It is ours and they cannot, will not take it away from us." His voice shook with the power of his belief, iron will hardening his eyes to cobalt steel.

A soft smile blossoming on his lips as he gazed at his younger brother melted the hardness in his eyes. "Our parents blood was always stronger in you. I though you should be the one doing the honors."

Before Robin could answer, they were interrupted by sudden hands encircling William from behind. He turned, laughing in time with the beautiful red head that had come surprisingly upon them, gathering her in his arms and sweeping her of her feat, he swirled her around, kissing her on the lips.

"For the love of—" teenage Robin exclaimed, horrified by their open display of love and affection.

"What's the matter _Goodfellow_?" the girl asked him breathlessly, coming up for air. "Jealous are we?"

"Of what? " Robin snapped.

"Should man up and ask the brunet already! Sure she'd love to have the famous Goodfellow doting on her-"

"Anna!" Robin exclaimed, turning scarlet. "We were in the middle of something." He added admonishingly after a furtive glance in William's direction.

"Can't have my man wasting his time with the likes of you!" Anna said, her green cat like eyes glinting mischievously, her playful smile brightening her whole face. "He has a battle to plan, a war to win." she said and kissed William again. After an indeterminate amount of time passed with Regina and the teenage Robin staring horrified at the two locked in their passionate embrace, William drew back, his hand going to push an errant auburn tress behind one ear, his eyes two melting pools of azure warmth, gazing with so much love and tenderness at the glowing Anna that Regina was starting to doubt her sanity.

"He's right love." he said, kissing her on the nose, his hand playing with her hair. "Our Robin Goodfellow is going to win us the war."

Anna stared at Robin with mock incredulity. "Really? Is he going to whistle them to death?"

"very funny." Robin replied in an unamused tone.

"Don't tell me he is going to sing for them." she said feigning horror.

William chuckled. "Stop teasing him Anna."

"Fine fine!" Anna said in surrender. She griped the hilt of the sword straddling her leather belt and turned to gaze expectantly at Robin. "Go on then. I want to see this weapon of yours in action."

Robin huffed in annoyance. "Go on brother." William said encouragingly. "The arrow shot by your hand and from that bow, it can break through anything. It will always find its mark."

"What should I aim for?"

"Anything you want. A piece of land, a tree. It doesn't matter, just as long as you reinforce our connection to the land."

Robin gave him a cocky smile in return, taking an arrow from the quiver. He put the tip on his open palm, pushing down until he drew blood, letting it coat the entire tip. William turned to Anna. "Love, the thing I gave you for safekeeping."

Anna smiled tenderly at him, her hands going to a string around her neck, bringing out a pouch hidden under her tunic. "The piece of your home." She said as she handed it over.

"You are my home Anna." William replied his hands lingering over hers a few moments more before taking the pouch away. He opened it and pulling out a fistful of the soil inside, dropped it on Robin's open palm, letting it coat the bloodied tip before cutting open his own palm to add his own blood to the mix, making the air over Robin's palm shimmer and pulse, seeming to suck light from all around.

The grin that Robin gave split his whole face wide open. Readying the bow, he took careful aim, staring straight at her. "We're going home brother." he said, the solemn promise in his voice not dampening the cheeky fire in his eyes one bit.

The arrow, after ripping open the barrier with a sound that shook the entire forest, passed right through her heart before she had time to react with anything more than a sharp gasp. Her hand went to her chest, but there was no blood, no pain. It had been only a memory. She turned away from the cheeky teenage Robin to see the adult him already walking towards Mios. She had so many questions to ask him, but knew he wouldn't be forthcoming anyway.

* * *

"Now you'll see."

She wasn't sure if he had been talking to her or himself. See what? All she had done was see. What made this memory so different? What had he done that he thought if she knew she would just leave him here?

He was standing in the middle of the courtyard that had housed the cauldron, but now it was littered with corpses of men and beasts alike. He was standing in the middle of one of them, oblivious to the fact as he could only see them in distant memory and not flesh and blood in front of her eyes like she did, the juxtaposition making her queasy.

A curious quiet reigned; the defeated quiet of the vanquished before the victors have gathered themselves enough to let out their cheers of triumph. He started for the castle entrance, Regina following close behind. There was a gnawing ache at the pit of her stomach; she had a feeling she knew where they were going. _Please let me be wrong..._

They passed fallen bodies and body parts, taking a much less circuitous route than she remembered from last time, soon finding themselves in the gloomy anteroom. She hesitated at the door, looking at the soldiers standing guard in royal blue livery at either side, their faces blank and smeared with blood. She thought she could detect fear and doubt beginning to take root in the depths of their eyes, like they weren't sure what it was they had gotten themselves into. With a deep breath, she went in after Robin. _Nothing is going to change. _Now if only she could make herself believe that.

The first thing she noticed was the absence of the heads on the walls. In front of perhaps a hundred or so soldiers standing guard in the middle of the huge hall, a group of maybe fifty men and women were arrayed in a row, their once noble and lavish clothing thorn and streaked with blood, their haughty aristocratic air replaced with defeat and despair, the smell of their fear stinking up the whole place.

A pale teenage Robin stood beside his brother, staring at the group, disbelief, shock and bone deep exhaustion leaching all traces of life and emotion out of his face. William was gazing at his captives, a frown blackening his brow, his breath angry and fast, like he thought their war wasn't over yet, like he still wasn't the victor in his own eyes; not satisfied with what he had got, finding the emptiness of revenge a cold substitute for a heart ripped out and discarded by cruelty. _You can't steel happy endings._ Robin's voice rasped in her mind. No you couldn't. Couldn't force it either. Would that someone had told her that before the thirst for revenge had clouded over her mind, her heart. Well she wouldn't have listened in all likelihood. Just as William wasn't going to.

Walking jerkily to the massive throne on the raised dais where their dining table had occupied before, he drew a large sword from its scabbard mounted on the wall above, spending a few moments with his back to them gazing down at it. Slowly his heaving shoulders quieted, straightening up, his posture became stiff, regal, determined. His movements deliberate, he turned back to them, the naked blade held loosely in one hand, his face devoid of all expression, he started to move towards the fallen nobles.

"My ancestors came to this land from beyond the veil a thousand years ago, and this land accepted them." He began, his voice quiet but cutting in the hush dominating the room. "They built a home, and a kingdom. They welcomed your people into it, gave them lands and riches beyond their wildest dreams." His hand had risen, almost unconsciously she thought, the sword pointed at nobles in accusation. "They ruled in peace and harmony, placing above all else their duties to this land and to its people." spurred on with the force of absolute conviction, his hand moved with complete disregard for the sword it held, coming dangerously close to draw blood from the people closest to its path.

"My father was a good king." His voice broke. He was very young Regina suddenly realized. He had a way of comporting himself that defied his youth, but it showed. Under the façade of a fearless and ruthless leader, he was still a boy who had had everything he loved taken away from him. _Like me._

"He made mistakes, he ruined our family, and he became mad." His breathing was becoming rapid, his eyes betraying him, letting his pain show. "He was sick!" The sword in his hand was beginning to shake ever so slightly, the disgust he felt for the people in front of him loosening the death grip he had on his emotions.

"And even in the depths of his madness and despair he never once forgot his duties to Heliamara and her people. But instead of helping him in his time of need how did you answer his generosity and loyalty?" Scorn was fairly dripping from his every pore, betrayal fuelling the fire of rage in his eyes, the nobles all silent in the face of his wrath. "You boiled him alive! All for the words of a man hungry for power. You locked us, the true scions of this land and the house of Soules, out of our home." He was really angry now, the remembered terror of his childhood and the treachery of those kneeling in front of him heightening his rage and fury. "Left us to die on our own when you didn't have the guts to come hunt us down yourselves."

"You're not going to keep that pretty head of yours much longer boy." snarled one of the kneeling figures. He was a large man, his face showing the most amount of cuts and bruises and his clothing the most amount of tear.

"Oh yes?" William's voice became dangerously low, the sudden evaporation of his temper reminding her uncomfortably of the William she knew all too well. "And who prey tell who is going to do the beheading," he added after a moment's pause, "Ravandale?"

"You surprised us you coward! You didn't face the whole might of the army." the man spat. "And it's Helios now. None of the ipsy tipsy bullshit of your family is ever going to tarnish our land again!" all the three guards standing behind him had to strive with all their might to keep the mammoth struggling figure kneeling on the ground and not pouncing on William's throat.

"Is that so?" William asked a smile curving his lips that didn't reach his eyes. "Good thing I have another army planned just for them."

He turned to his brother, holding out the sword to him. "What—" Robin had to stop, clearing his dry throat before continuing. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing they don't plan to do to us." William said, his face showing no emotion whatsoever. "Cut off their heads." The iron in the command made hairs rise on Regina's arm.

Robin stared wide eyed. "But William they're—"

"our enemy. Our sworn enemy. Of us and our land." He cut him off heatedly, the emotionless masked slipping a little to show not only rage, but fear as well, fear that was mirrored back from Robin's eyes. "They will do nothing but destroy everything we have ever loved brother."

"He is just as much a coward as your father. You should have heard his screams. Like a little girl he was—"

Ravandale's taunting was interrupted by the rough hands that closed around his throat."I'd like to see how manly you would scream when you are boiling alive!" Robin hissed in the face that was slowly turning purple. "Beheading is too easy a death for the likes of you!" fear, despair and hatred had suffused Robin's eyes, not letting him see anything but revenge.

"But it will help us defeat the rest of them." William said quietly, standing behind him. Robin let go of the man's throat, holding his hand out for the sword.

William cut a crimson ribbon on his forearm before doing the same with Robin, taking out fistful of soil from the pouch he had taken from Anna to pour on the bloody blade, making it pulse with a dark iridescence, and then handed the jewel studded hilt with its glistening blade to Robin. The three soldiers forced the heaving form to the ground, holding on for all they were worth.

"You filthy pigs! The whole lot of you! I will make you scream like I did him! Like your whore mother I will—"

The blade descended, cutting bone and sinew in one fluid strike, the blood sprouting out, drenching the floor and anyone and anything in its vicinity.

The steel clattered to the floor, the jarring sound of steel on stone breaking everyone's horrified state of shock. "All of them Robin. We need to get all of them." William said with forced determination, as if feeling he needed to remind not only Robin, but himself as well.

Her gaze was drawn to the unmoving Robin of the present, not looking at what was happening in the middle of the hall, but gazing silently up at the wall, where she knew the mounted heads stood glaring down at him with malicious gazes filled with hatred and rage. He had put some of those heads on the walls. He had helped his brother become the man he was now.

After it was all over, she followed a staggering young Robin out of the hall, leaving William with his fifty heads and fifty headless corpses.


	14. Follies of Love

His movements were jerky and dazed, as if he was sleep walking, passing through doorways and corridors without seeming to have a destination or even a sense of his surroundings. Passing through one final door to the outside world, the sunlight almost blinded them both. He didn't stop, just put one foot in front of the other until his legs gave under him. He collapsed on the ground, his body heaving, throwing up again and again, rejecting his memories, his actions, rejecting himself.

Her hands went to his shaking shoulders, but another hand got there first, clasping tightly. He turned to see the owner of that hand, his face ghostly, his eyes swimming in pools of loathing and despair. It was hard to believe he was the same cocky 17 year old she had seen in the meadow in the last vision.

"It needs to stop Robin."

"How?" he asked, laughing mirthlessly. "I helped him Anna." his voice broke on the admission. "Ravandale wouldn't shut up." He was in shock, his eyes round, his voice disbelieving, horror curving his body in on itself, trying to escape the memories. "I kept seeing his face from that night...when he kept screaming for our heads..." he was sobbing, great heaving sobs that shook his whole body. "I just wanted to make it stop...make him go away."

"I know" Anna's voice was a soothing whisper meant to calm. She tried to draw him in her arms, but he pulled away savagely. "But I didn't stop!." he shouted at her. "I killed all of them. Fifty people! I..."

"Robin, listen to me," she said getting on her knees so they were eye to eye. "He is going too far." her hands hovered above his arms, not daring to touch for fear of setting him off. "We have to stop it before it's too late." her voice was earnest, her beseeching hands finally landing on his arms. Robin stared at her vacantly, too dazed to give any reaction. "Before the darkness swallows him like it did your mother."

Anger made a crack appear on his shell-shock. "You know nothing of my mother!"

"I know enough. And I am not letting the same fate befall William!" her voice was hard as iron, her resolve harder still. "I love him too much."

"What can we do? He won't listen! Says this is the only way we are going to take back our 'happy ending'." There was so much venom in the way he said that term. "I don't want it! We were happy before. This is not happiness!"

Anna rose up, gazing down at him inscrutably, a slight line puckering her brow. "There is a man. I've heard tales of him—"

Robin gave a derisive chuckle. "Where? In the taverns? From the bards? Like they ever get anything right." from the bitterness in his tone Regina guessed he must be talking from experience.

"Well it's the only chance we have." Anna replied, her own anger showing. "You prefer to just give up? Are you going to just sit back as it takes your only remaining family as well?"

He looked at her, breathing hard, a million thoughts and emotion passing through his eyes. "Fine!" he growled after a moment, his narrowed eyes and stiff posture indicating anything but.

Anna relented, her lips curling into a smile, her cat eyes glinting devilishly in the low light. "Cheer up Goodfellow. If you go on like this much longer we'll have to call you Sourfellow from now on." The answer to her jab was only an annoyed roll of his eyes.

"What's he supposed to do anyway?"

"They say he beats the devils and vanquishes evils from hearts and lands." She answered, the effect of the mysterious tone she'd put on diminished by the twinkle in her eyes.

"And how is that of any use to us?!" Robin asked archly, still not taking the bait.

She became serious, her eyes somber and her tone earnest. "The darkness is burrowing into his soul, his heart, his mind. That man is going to get rid of it."

Before he could come up with a sarcastic enough rejoinder, a noise drew both their heads to the castle entry, and Regina turned with them to see William exiting. His cloths and body were a mass of dried and clinging blood and his face was clammy and white like a ghost's, his lips two pale narrow lines, his eyes two blazing cobalt orbs, feverish, intense, scent of madness wafting through the air around him.

"We have not yet found all of the guilty 12 brother." He said, his manic eyes landing on Robin and Anna. "We will not rest until they all are burning in fires of unending agony. For their sin."

Robin stood up shakily. "They have fled far William. Some even to the neighboring kingdoms."

"Then we will hunt them to the ends of the earth if needs be."

"How? We don't even have full control of our own kingdom yet!"

"Do not worry little brother, for I have made us the mightiest army." he said in grand tones, his lips twitching but not really turning into a smile. At his words, the shadows clinging to the entry dislodged, moving slowly towards the light. They glinted bloody crimson before the scarce light of dusk shone enough on them to make the shapes discernible. The headless corpses filed into the courtyard with the predatory grace of panthers readying for a pounce, naked blades ready at hand or bows drawn, awaiting the naming of the prey to commence a bath of blood.

"I give you brother," he declared, his voice filling the quiet with ominous foreboding, his hands indicating the newcomers with theatrical flourish, _"The Red Army."_

Regina stared, along with slack jawed Robin and Anna at the army of headless corpses.

"You will be their Captain." William said, his hands gripping Robin's shoulders. "They will not eat drink rest or die. And with each new kill you bring me we will gain a soldier more." he turned back to the demonic hoard, gazing at his Red Army with a maniacal gleam in his eyes, savage relish oozing off of him.

"We will be unbeatable. The happy ending is ours brother. We must rejoice!" he laughed, the sound grating on Regina's nerves, making Anna flinch and Robin pale even more.

"We must rest love. Now that we have what we came here for." Anna said, softening her tone and putting on a cajoling air she sauntered toward William, putting her body between him and Robin in the process.

"But I want to show the people our new army!" he told her petulantly, his tone reminiscent of a child's.

She caressed his cheek soothingly. "Maybe later after we are rested-"

"No! You two rest" he shouted, jerking away from her but she was unflinching in the face of his vitriolic outburst. "I want them to see now!" he was becoming unhinged, his voice revealing the madness underneath the rage and fear. "To know they can never rise against me. They need to be taught a lesson."

"William...It was the nobles-" Robin stammered, panicked.

"They were but twelve men. They could have done nothing without the people." William spat back at him.

"Brother, listen to me," Robin began, his hands going to his brother's arms imploringly. William jerked himself away from him, fury leaping out of him in flames, making Robin stumble.

"No you listen to me Robin!" he yelled, shoving him hard, turning his stumble into a fall, "I'm not letting you or anyone else jeopardize our chance at happiness. And if you are too weak to take it for yourself I will force it upon you if I must!"

"William!" Anna snapped. "We have been at war for two months straight." She forced him back, fisted her hands in his leather vest to bring his head close to hers, her eyes shooting green fury at him, "And no one has worked harder for this victory than Robin. Not even you." she pushed him away, too furious to even want to look at him. "We are tired. All of us. You go ahead if you are too daft to get it through thick scull that we have bloody won!"

William's nostrils flared dangerously. "We have not won until that hall is lined with all their heads!" he barked at her.

Anna's forceful push to his shoulder drove him back a step. "And you think to find it by terrorizing the village with your new toys do you? Go ahead. Go get your bloody heads!" her face was almost the same red as her hair she was so mad, fury etched in every line of her body.

"Don't mind if I do." William snapped, rage contorting his face, making it almost unrecognizable. He turned sharply on his heel, going for the gates, the headless army following him as one.

It took them a moment to move after the last of them had disappeared from sight. Robin broke free first.

"It has him. It has him Anna."

She whirled on him "No. **No!**" the vehemence of her cry seemed to deliver an almost physical blow to Robin.

"That is not William! We shouldn't have let him use it. We shouldn't have. "He said, drowning under the weight of despair.

"It doesn't have you!"

"Doesn't it? I murdered 50 men and women in cold blood!" Regina could see his eyes glistening and tremors wracking his body.

"It doesn't!" she said. "And it isn't going to have Will!" it was a solemn promise driven by unshakable determination, blinded by love. "We will find that man and he is going to fix it. We just have to control him till then.

Something drew Regina's eyes to Robin, who stood immobile as a stone statue, staring fixedly at Anna's stubbornly determined face, like he was seeing a ghost. But it was worse than that for him she realized. He was seeing her, he was seeing Anna; it was evident in the bottomless pain reflected in his eyes. His face was so pale she was afraid there was no drop of blood left in his body. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the vision dissipate slowly. He closed his eyes, concentrating on breathing in and out.

"Enough" Robin barked on a harsh exhale, his voice wrought with emotion.

"You're seeing it too." she said, knowing it to be true. But it didn't make any sense. "Why are you seeing it? I thought Jack only gave me the fruit of sight—"

"How the hell should I know?" he exploded, opening his eyes to star at her furiously. "Why don't you enlighten me why the hell the land keeps thinking we're bloody connected?"

She couldn't tell him she just couldn't. "You mean it's not the first time?" She asked, not needing to feign puzzlement.

"Not so forthcoming when you are on the receiving end of hard questions are you?"

"It's your land!" she said defensively. "How should I know what's wrong with it?" She hoped he was too emotionally off balanced to pay close attention to her act.

He looked at her suspiciously for a few beats before giving his head a harsh shake as if to clear it. "You've seen what you wanted. We're going back to the camp now. "

"Not yet. I need to know how you stopped him before."

"Weren't you listening? I didn't."

"You did something didn't you? It got you out. You just don't want me to find out so I can get you out again." her anger made it difficult to keep accusation out of her voice and she didn't try, which only made his eyes burn hotter still.

"The only thing _you_ are doing is getting back to camp so _I_ can find a way out of here for you!"

"Like hell I am." she was tired of him treating her like an imbecile. "This story is just beginning."

"This story is my bloody life! And I'm tired of walking through this nightmare for you!"

Her indignation and rage evaporated. She didn't know what to say; she had to know, but she hated seeing that look on his face and knowing she was the one who put it there by dredging up all these memories. "Don't you understand?" he asked, her hesitation lessening the harshness of his tone, "I'm not someone you can save to redeem yourself from your darkness. I'm as tainted by it as he is."

How could he think that? "No Robin you're not." she was gripping is arms, willing him to believe her. "Why can't you see that? And I'm not trying to redeem myself. I'm just trying to—"

"What? What is it you seek? Haven't you seen enough? Haven't I bared enough wounds for you to throw salt in?"

Oh Robin. Did he really think her that cruel? "Don't you want to see your son?" She asked him softly, her heart almost breaking at the thought of him never seeing his little boy again. "Don't you want to get back to him?"

He turned his head away, hiding his thoughts, his emotions. "My feelings on the matter are irrelevant." his hand on her shoulder tightened, betraying his inner turmoil. "I must atone for my sins here. Set to right the wrongs I did so long ago. "

"Then let me help. Please." She couldn't remember the last time she had pleaded like this with anyone. She didn't think she ever had.

His head snapped back to hers, his intense eyes boring into her soul. "Why? Why do you care so much? Tell me!"

The entreaty in his voice made a part of her want to just come out and tell him, but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't sure if she really knew why herself. Before she had a chance to come up with a convincing lie, her eyes fell to the castle doorway, the sight chilling the blood in her veins. He whirled, immediately trying to shield her with his body, alarmed by what he saw in her face, the sound of his sword coming out of its scabbard wringing in the quiet around them.

William stood there in the doorway, gazing at them with the same expressionlessness he had that first day. The sound of hooves drew her head back sharply towards the great gates. She heard Robin sheathe his sword, but she didn't need to turn to see why.

He was older now. Physically, it seemed only a couple of years had passed, but from his eyes an old man looked out, drained of life and joy and all emotion. His face was a mask of complete blankness, not like that of his brother, but like his soul was simply too exhausted to dredge up any emotion anymore.

The past William passed between Robin and her as he went to greet his younger brother, his face gaining motion and emotion with the same jarring suddenness of the first time she'd seen it. It was like his face had forgotten how to show emotion, or that his soul had forgotten what they were altogether, and it was a mask he put on consciously to play his game of pretense to its fullest.

"Brother you have returned. Victorious I trust?"

"Amazonia is ours." Robin replied mounted on Mios, his voice without any inflection.

The smile William gave in return had sharp edges, it seemed he hadn't yet become as adept at feigning emotion as he was now. His gaze went to the two headless corpses flanking Robin on horseback. He raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.

"The Red await you in the citadel. Once I secured it I thought it prudent to leave it be. So you can choose the ones you like to keep to play with."

"Very prudent indeed brother. I must be away at once." He motioned for a horse to be brought to him. "Where is Anna?"

"Her deviousness won us the war. Got us in and left to do reconnaissance on the next target." Robin answered, dismounting. "You plan to take Urien do you not? I think it might prove challenging. "

"Surely you do not suggest anything could be as challenging as the Amazonians? I'm sure with their warriors added to our Red nothing can stand in our way. We get Urien and the borderlands are all ours."

"Just like you said they would."

He gave him his not quite right smile again. "Rest Robin. We need our Red captain to be sharp and alert if he's to win us the war."

"Yes brother." Robin replied tonelessly.

He stood watching as William mounted the horse brought him and took off, the two Red following close behind. She looked to see the real Robin gazing not at himself or his brother but instead gazing with a heartbreaking smile at something behind. She was momentarily transfixed by the oceans of sorrow and guilt that were his eyes, before she tore hers away. The young Robin turned as well to see a figure, having detached from the shadows, come towards them.

"Do you have it?" he asked.

Anna gave him a look, affronted he'd even asked.

"Let us be off then."

"He's not here Robin, you can stop now."

He sighed. "I'm too tired Anna. This is who I am. Let's go find this man that's to be our hope. "

"You needn't sound so optimistic about it." she said sarcastically.

"Hope is dangerous." he replied in the same flat monotone, waiting as she mounted Mios before doing the same behind her. "If it is killed now then at least some good will come of this fool's errand we go to."

Anna only shook her head sadly in response. "Where did the Goodfellow go?" she murmured softly.

"Dead. I'm Robin Redcap now. Haven't you heard?" and with that last comment, Mios reared up and then they were off, a flash of light against the backdrop of the inky sky.

Regina turned, calling for Aran, wanting go after them before the trail got cold. Strong hands closed on her arms before she had had time to do more than utter the name in her mind.

"You're not following them." he stated.

"And who's going to stop me?" she gritted out through the rage clouding her vision. "You?"

"Reality is." he answered simply. "We went out of the borderlands that day, because back then your mate Jack could not enter Heliamara. But I gave him the means to get free roam of the place through my stupidity."

If his bitterness was any indication it must have been a spectacular stupidity indeed. And damn, she couldn't get out because of that shield. "Now you see." he said and turned for the castle entrance.

"So then...you have to tell me what happened."

He stopped his forward motion but did not turn. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"This is the most important part! What was it you tried to do? "

He swiveled back towards her, anger making his movements sharp and edgy. "What I did was to fail miserably at what I set out to do."

"Why did you fail? Can we do it again? Maybe—"

"_We_ are certainly not doing anything." he said pointing a finger at her. "Whereas _I_ am going to find a way to deal with my brother on my own and it certainly won't be a repeat of that fiasco."

"It won't kill you to listen to him every once in a while my girl." Jack's voice was like a bucket of ice cold water, and she didn't know why it made her so uneasy this time. "But it might kill you if you don't." He warned in a cheery tone.

Whatever she might be feeling, it was nothing compared to the wrath apparent in Robin's face. His head snapped toward the direction his voice had come from. Seeing the nonchalant figure, he marched forward with murderous rage. "How the hell did you get in?" he had unsheathed his sword, and was brandishing it menacingly in front of him. "I swore Jack, I swore I would never let you get an inch more of this land." His voice was beyond savage; it was the most feral she had ever seen him.

"Do not be worryin' yourself boyo. You didn't give me anythin'." Jack had his hands up in a gesture both in surrender and placation "Our lady here on the other hand," she didn't need the indication of is hands to feel the weight of accusation landing squarely on her chest. "She accepted my gift now didn't she? And then well, you and her bein' what you are, you accepted it through her, you did." he exhaled cheerfully. "And so this bloody curse is null at last." he wiggled his eyebrows waggishly at him. "I can even enter the castle now I reckon."

Robin's sword came to lie on his throat. "If you take just one step, just one I swear—"

"What is it you think I'd be doin' lad?" Jack asked his eyebrows almost disappearing under his dark locks. "What could I possibly want with your land and your castle?"

Faced with Robin mulishly silent accusation, his eyes turned blue, his faced losing its jovial playfulness and becoming serious, "Any quarrel I could have had with your family was with Maev and no one else."

"You expect me to believe you are helping me out of the goodness of your heart?" Robin chuckled derisively. "Like last time?"

"Not the goodness of my heart no." the green was back in his eyes. "I'm just seeing that the terms of our bargain are met. You didn't think our game was done now did you?"

He disappeared from under Robin's blade and with him so did the scenery around them, getting replaced by the view of the green meadows of the forest.

It took her a few moments to find her bearing in the confusing overlay of sounds and images. "And I hear you are in need of encouragement to want to return to..." he seemed to flail around for words, "wherever it was you've been off to."

"Want to get rid of me already? Don't you want to wait till I've served some purpose of yours again?" Robin asked, his voice laden with sarcasm.

"How many times must I tell you I didn't know the land would send you away?"

"It gave you access to Heliamara and that's all you cared about anyway." was the mordant reply.

Jack just waved his hands in annoyance at him. "Be that way. Don't see reason for all I care. But know this _Maine_." He said poking him in the chest, his voice suitably ominous. "The March in the heart of the forest is ill." he announced in dire tones, his outstretched arm pointing in the direction of the border and the Enchanted Forest that lay beyond it.

"The March?" Robin asked baffled. "Is that supposed to mean anything to me?"

Jack gave an exasperated huff. "The March? My march?" seeing his confused look Jack sighed dramatically. "The one you call The Green? Where all your friends are hiding? Ring any bells?"

Robin's face paled to a sickly shade. "The Green is your march?" Robin asked huskily.

"Do you know where our people are?" Regina interjected. "And what do you mean it's sick?" she went on worriedly. "Is that where they are Robin?"

"I don't know." He rasped in answer.

"Then we need to find out!" she snapped. "This idiotic game has gone on long enough. We need to get the hell out of here!"

"Yeah you do need to do that." Jack chimed in, making her want to claw his dancing eyes out.

Robin whirled on him irately, "What is it you're really after Jack? Why aren't you back in Alfheim where you belong?" he stalked toward him, anger and worry filling his every move, the sword held in front of him an explicit menace. "Afraid your mother will be displeased you didn't return with Maev's head? Thinking to bring her a Maine's instead?" his tone might be mocking and oozing derision, but the words left a bad taste in her mouth.

"You know nothing of these matters Robin my boy." if the darkening clouds of Jack's eyes were any indication, he didn't like them much either. "Don't you think if I wanted your heads I couldn't have taken it anytime I wanted?"

"Oh I know. Not only did you fail miserably at everything you were sent out to do, you let a Maine steal away your sister." She had heard anger in his voice, but she was unaccustomed to the sharp edge of bitterness that carried through. "I hear your dear mother is not very forgiving. Afraid she's going to blight you on sight?"

Their words circulating in her mind, she looked at the interplay of light reflecting off the naked blade he kept turning in his hands, the open threat at odds with the mocking tone he used. "Wait a damn minute!" Regina exclaimed.

But Robin wasn't paying her any attention; the sword stilled, his anger losing its external outlet and focusing all its fury in his demand, "Just go back to your bloody queen Alfhild and tell her you killed her errant elves. And stay in Alfheim this time. All of you!" he yelled at him.

"Elves? Alfheim? What the hell?" her cries went unheeded by the two of them, too engrossed in their argument to pay her any attention. Feeling her face get hot again she stomped toward them, shoving the two forcibly apart.

They both turned to look at her with identical annoyed expressions on their faces.

"You're elves? **Elves?**" Her voice was so shrill she would have been embarrassed if her thoughts weren't a jumbled mess. "How can you be Elves? You don't look very Elvish."

"Expectin' us to be like your fairies did you my girl? I assure you we're nothin' alike." Jack said with laughter dancing in his eyes. She didn't know what she had expected, but not this. "Elves?" She said again, half whispering it to herself in wonder.

A deep frown was creasing Robin's brow. "Well, he is." he said, indicating Jack. "I'm half, if that."

Just like that. As if he was stating the blueness of the sky.

"You're more than that my lad." Jack told him.

Her outburst had somehow diffused the tension between them. What she wouldn't give to know the thoughts that turned behind those blue eyes of Robin's gazing inscrutably back at Jack. "Not anymore." he said. "You saw to that didn't you?"

"And I'd wager you've thanked me for that every day since my lad." Jack said it without any trace of cheek, his eyes never losing their solemn grey.

"Don't be so sure of that."

Jack gave an annoyed huff, not able to keep the same stoic demeanor as Robin. "You'd prefer you'd ended up like your brother?"

Robin sighed. "What do you want?" he asked resignedly, a frown tugging at his lips as he finally sheathed his sword.

His grey eyes gazing at Robin's cold profile began to shine with iridescent specks of gold and green "Nothin' you wouldn't want. You set me to cleanse the land of darkness. And so I shall."

"I don't need your help anymore." Robin said, turning all the way from him.

He tsked. "Don't need or don't want it boyo?"

"I can do it on my own." maybe that had been a tad too defensive to be believed completely, but she was beginning to wish it was true; the less they had to deal with any of them the better it would be.

"Can you now?" the Cheshire cat grin was back; he was tasting weakness. "I wouldn't be so sure of that..."

"You're awful quite my lady." Jack said, materializing behind her, making her swivel in alarm and almost fall down before his hand steadied her. "No witty remarks to interject? Feelin' out of your depth?" He quipped.

"Leave her out of this!" Robin warned, stalking toward them.

"It's not me! She is the one who won't let herself be left out. Nothin' you or I could do about it."

Glaring daggers at him with all her might she jerked her arm out of his grip, too incensed to bother coming up with a cutting enough remark. "William is lookin' for you you know." he informed her conspiratorially. "No tellin' what he'll do if he finds you in Anna's garbs."

Regina looked down. She had completely forgotten the state of her dress. Before her eyes the ugly coarse dress transformed into a beautiful green gown. "Much better." Jack proclaimed.

She raised her narrowed eyes to him, letting her frustration out in a loud growl. "That's the thanks I get!" he said in affronted tones.

She gave him a razor sharp smile and changed the dress to one of her own simple outfits. This one in blue; she was getting tired of the mandatory green. So much better than the cumbersome, antiquated cloths they kept forcing on her. Jack only grinned in response.

"What did you mean me and her being what we are?" Robin asked out of nowhere.

Jack's grin widened. Without taking her eyes off her he asked innocently, "I said that did I?" he turned to him. "well...the land keeps thinkin' you're connected doesn't she? Maybe you should ask her." he let it hang which _she_ he meant. "Our little Will is gettin' close now. Must be off."

He turned back to her. "Before I go," he took her hand. She stared at him with a slight frown pulling at her brow, wanting to see what other shenanigans he was up to now, and well, if she was honest with herself, afraid any resistance on her part might lead to him revealing information she was not ready for Robin to know yet. He winked at her and drew her hand toward his lips. "Accept this gift of me my lady, for I swear on all that I am it is given with no mischief in mind." in the hand he held parallel to his throat a sword had appeared, its long and narrow blade a crystalline sapphire blue, adorned with runes that went all the way to the silvery hilt. Its sharp edge left no doubt in her mind that it could cut, making the fact that he had arranged their position in a simile of the one he and Robin had been in a few minutes before all the more baffling. "The sword of Rhioannon." he said, his voice solemn, the color of his eyes indecipherable. "So the path of truth will always be open to you."

She slowly brought it down and away from him. It was beautifully deadly, weighing nothing in her hand but dragging her down with the force of its pitilessness.

Swords weren't really her forte. "Not to seem ungrateful but don't you think—" his eyes twinkled with their green mischief, breaking the otherworldly air that had gathered around him. The sword disappeared, and in its place a sapphire ring, beautiful but inconspicuous sat on her ring finger. "It is the sword of truth. And truth takes many forms, often not the one that is immediately apparent to the eye." He had lost the accent a little, his voice becoming uncanny and seemed to grow more than the space around him had the capacity to hold him. He smiled again, and the feeling dissipated. "William's not goin' to know a thing."

His eyes shifted to Robin who had come to stand silently by her side. "Sorry lad. It's for the hands of a woman to wield. Won't work on us men folk." he slapped a comradely hand on Robin's shoulder. "Too bullheaded your mother always said for seein' the truth right in front of our noses," he added with an aside look to her, but maybe that was her imagination. "much less the hidden ones. Or I'd given it to you my lad." he was all smiles and sincerity incarnate. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Well she, you. It's all the same now isn't it?" he added with a careless shrug which made Robin's eyebrows shoot up in answer.

"Right." he clapped his hands, rubbing them together as if in anticipation. That couldn't be good. "Just remember to give him a good showin' my girl." and on that cryptic remark, he disappeared from sight.

As Robin took her hand to examine the ring more closely, she looked at their surrounding with unease growing in the pit of her stomach. She could feel something coming closer, drawing a noose tighter. Behind the wall of the dense trees she thought she could see a red glint in the shadowed depths.

Without letting herself think, she fisted her hand in Robin's hair and drew his unresisting head to hers. His lips were warm, his mouth slack in surprise, and she took advantage. _Give him a good showin'_ and so she would. The sound of a throat clearing made her draw back. The moonlight that had come with the sudden night reflected in his blue eyes wide in surprise and something else. "William." he said, turning towards the source of the noise. "You caught us unawares."

"I did not mean to surprise you brother. I simply grew anxious when I could not find you at camp. "

"Brother," he said with an easy chuckle, "I'm not the errant youth you had to track to keep out of trouble anymore." he pushed her hand with its ring to his heart. "My lady has accepted my proposal at last."

That would be her queue. Fool in love. "I've seen the land he grew up. No reason to hold back any longer. "She said, burrowing herself in his arms and winding her free arm around him. "I've seen all I needed to."

"We had come to celebrate brother. The hunting air of the camp was not very suitable to our festive mood."

"Indeed. My bad , dear brother. Had I known you two were so eager I would have hurried the preparations along."

"No need William. We will leave that to the land herself. We are to take the Heart's journey."

Alarm flitted through William's features. He gave a disbelieving laugh. "Pardon?"

"We are to undergo the journey." Robin replied helpfully.

"The Heart?" he asked, absolutely stunned. "The journey of the Heart?" if it was anyone else she might have found the flustered demeanor funny. "Are you mad?" His eyes vacillated between Robin and her, not quite sure who to blame for the idiotic notion. "You can't possibly think—"

"It is our way is it not brother? Our father broke the trend and look where it got him. "

"No one has returned from that journey in hundreds of years!" William's voice was the loudest she'd heard from his older self; he was worried, angry, and not believing what he was hearing.

"An oversight on our part. After all, if the Maines would not undertake it who else would dare? Maybe you and Lady Adelina should join us as well."

"You can't think yourself or your connection to...to—" words failing him William settled for pointing an accusatory finger in her direction, "_her_ strong enough to withstand the ordeal of the Heart!"

"But I do. And after all it is for the Heart to decide is it not?" Robin replied calmly, his thumb running over her palm still held close to his chest.

_What are you getting us into Robin?_

"Do you think to keep us from it?" he asked his brother.

The few beats that passed with William glaring silently at them seemed like hours. "I would not presume to do so." he finally said. "And you are in agreement with him?" he asked her, turning the full force of his coldly burning eyes on her. "Are you going to follow him to certain death and destruction?"

She gave him a slight smile. "And beyond." she told him simply.

"We'll be sure to bring back a fistful of soil so you can restock father's pouch brother." Robin said with a magnanimous smile at his brother.

The frustrated air escaped from William's flaring nostrils. "We shall await your return. See to it that you do so in one piece." he said, directing his silently fuming gaze at her, threat underlying his every word, implying he would hold her personally responsible if he did not.

_What did I do? He's the one insisting on it_. But William was gone, and it was only her and Robin in the eerie meadow and the prospect of certain death and destruction. _And beyond; mustn't forget that._


End file.
